Compounding a crime consists of knowingly agreeing to take anything of value upon the agreement or understanding, express or implied, to compound or conceal a crime or to abstain from a prosecution therefor, or to withhold any evidence thereof.
For purposes of this section, a person may be prosecuted and convicted of compounding a crime though the person guilty of the original crime has not been charged, indicted or tried.
Whoever commits compounding a crime is guilty of a misdemeanor.
History: 1953 Comp., § 40A-22-6, enacted by Laws 1963, ch. 303, § 22-6.
ANNOTATIONSThreat of prosecution for bad check. — Specific language of this section controls over the more general language of the Worthless Check Act (30-36-1 NMSA 1978 et seq.), even if the latter act could by implication be construed to authorize a threat of prosecution in a bad check notice. 1965 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 65-197.
Written notice that a check has been returned unpaid for lack of funds or credit, as called for in the Worthless Check Act (30-36-1 NMSA 1978 et seq.), may not contain a statement that the district attorney has been contacted and that criminal proceedings will be instituted unless the check is paid within a period of time. 1965 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 65-197.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 15A Am. Jur. 2d Compounding Crimes §§ 1 to 4.
15A C.J.S. Compounding Offenses § 3.