accomplice n : a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan (especially an unethical or illegal plan) [syn: confederate]

Accomplice \Ac*com"plice\, n. [Ac- (perh. for the article a or for L. ad) + E. complice. See Complice.]
1. A cooperator. [R.] Success unto our valiant general, And happiness to his accomplices! --Shak.
2. (Law) An associate in the commission of a crime; a participator in an offense, whether a principal or an accessory. ``And thou, the cursed accomplice of his treason.'' --Johnson. Note: It is followed by with or of before a person and by in (or sometimes of) before the crime; as, A was an accomplice with B in the murder of C. Dryden uses it with to before a thing. ``Suspected for accomplice to the fire.'' --Dryden. Syn: Abettor; accessory; assistant; associate; confederate; coadjutor; ally; promoter. See Abettor.

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At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery. However, anyone else directly involved in the commission of the crime, such as the lookout or the getaway car driver, is an accomplice, even though in the absence of an underlying offense keeping a lookout or driving a car would not be an offense.

An accomplice differs from an accessory in that an accomplice is present at the actual crime, and could be prosecuted even if the main criminal (the principal) is not charged or convicted. An accessory is generally not present at the actual crime, and may be subject to lesser penalties than an accomplice or principal.

• Accomplice charged in flat-tire robbery - La Crosse Tribune
  An 18-year-old Mindoro woman was charged Wednesday as an accomplice to a February armed robbery in which the accused robber first fixed the victim’s flat tire. According to a criminal complaint, the victim exited the Walmart in Onalaska on the night of ... Read more on this news related to 'Accomplice'
• Accomplice in 1975 murder of Livonia brothers testifies - detroitnews.com
  Livonia— An accomplice to a 1975 Livonia homicide recalled Tuesday how suspect David Glenn Fowler beat his two victims with a board before stabbing them. Russell Gordon testified during Fowler's preliminary exam Tuesday before 16th District ... Read more on this news related to 'Accomplice'
• Bond set at $150K for accomplice in two robberies - Newark Advocate
  NEWARK -- Bond was set at $150,000 for a Newark man accused of assisting an accomplice with two robberies in northern Licking County. Jesse L. Connors, 29, last known address 591 Marion Court, was arrested Monday in connection with a pair of ... Read more on this news related to 'Accomplice'