Accessory to a Crime

A person that performs some act which joined to another act actually enables a crime to be committed is an accessory to that crime. In criminal law, an accessory after the fact is a person that assists a criminal after the crime has been committed. For example, the person that hides the criminal, or the loot, may be charged as an accessory after the fact. An accessory before the fact is one who does some act in furtherance of the crime but before it is actually committed by another.