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Legal Definition of substantive crime
: a crime that does not have as an element the performance of some other crime : a crime that is not dependent on another
indicted and convicted of conspiracy to attempt to enter the bank and the substantive crime of attempting to enter the bank — United States v. Clay, 495 F.2d 700 (1974)
— called also substantive offense
— compare accessory, conspiracyComments on substantive crime
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Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
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