Welcome back and thanks for joining us for this continuing discussion on covering up crimes in Michigan. And no – this isn’t a how to manual on getting away with criminal activities, that’s not remotely what we’re talking about here. We’re actually providing our readers with a rough breakdown of the different ways people try to cover up their ‘dirty deeds’, and what the consequences of those choices are here in Michigan. In the previous article we talked about witness tampering and concealing the death of an individual. Moving one we’re going to look at a few more…
There are many ways people try to hide their crimes from the cops.
When people do something they know will get them into trouble with the law, they tend to overreact. Get freaked out. Try to hide the evidence so that they don’t get busted. And we get it – it’s pretty normal human reaction. But it’s also not a good one, because it usually makes a bad thing worse, and can result in even more criminal charges racked up against them. So how does that usually happen? LIke this…
- Making a False Report of a Crime
Making a False Report of a Crime is the formal way of saying lying to the police about a crime. This is a pretty common cover-up tactic when people are afraid of getting busted – they make up a story about some other crime being committed. This is sometimes called filing a false polic report. Whatever you call it, its a crime here in Michigan.
Whatever the details, if it’s not true and it’s what you say to the police, then it’s a crime. Because lying to the police in Michigan is against the law, and you can get into a lot of trouble for it! If the crime you’re trying to cover up is a misdemeanor, then lying about it to the cops will get you a misdemeanor false report charge. But if the crime you’re lying about was a felony, then those lies are another felony charge. See? It’s just like we said – big trouble! Our best advice continues to be LAWYER UP, SHUT UP AND DON’T TALK TO THE POLICE until your lawyer is present.
- Abusing a Corpse
Although Michigan law doesn’t refer to this particular crime as “abusing” a body, that’s a common enough terminology for what they’re talking about. Specifically, no one is allowed to “dig up, disinter, remove, or convey away a human body, or the remains thereof, from the place where the body may be interred or deposited… or mutilate, deface, remove, or carry away a portion of the dead body of a person, whether in his charge for burial or otherwise.”
In other words, you’re not allowed to do anything to a dead body except leave it alone. So any gruesome efforts that would make a body easier to get rid of (like chopping it up), or moving it so that you could hide it or get rid of it, is a 10 year felony in Michigan. So while doing something that accidentally results in someone’s death is bad, trying to hide or dispose of their body afterwards is even worse!
- Perjury
You’ve probably heard the term perjury before, because it tends to get thrown around in court dramas on TV. However the specific legal meaning of Perjury could be a couple of different things. First, it could refer to someone making false statements under oath while testifying in a court of law. Second, it could refer to someone who willfully makes a false declaration in a signed record. There are several other perjury-related crimes, like getting someone else to lie in court, or trying to get someone to commit perjury.
Perjury is a big deal. If you’ve committed a crime, and you’re trying to cover it up by lying in court, you could be charged with a felony if you ever get found out. Although prosecutors don’t always bring perjury charges when someone isn’t truthful on the witness stand, it has happened. And it’s certainly not worth the risk, especially when you consider that the penalty is 15 years in prison!
Covering up crimes with more criminal activity is a terrible plan!
So if you’re ever in that situation, where something terrible has happened, and you’re afraid of getting into trouble with the cops, call our experienced criminal defense attorneys immediately at 866 766 5245. Trying to hide evidence of a crime only leads to more criminal activity, which leads to more charges later on, when the whole thing unravels. And it always unravels, sooner or later! So make the right choice now and get the help you need right now. LAWYER UP. We’re available 24/7, including nights and weekends, because we understand that tragedy never strikes at convenient times. You can reach our top criminal defense attorneys by calling 1 866 766 5245 (1 866 7NoJail). You can email us at: contactus@kronzek.law