If I Take A Plea Agreement Will I Be Charged With More Crimes Than I Pled Guilty To?

Oftentimes indictments have multiple counts in them. A plea agreement can be offered to plead guilty to one or more counts in the indictment and to have the other counts dismissed. This agreement does not eliminate the effect those other counts will have on the sentence to be imposed unless a binding plea or a more restricted plea under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines is developed. This is one of those areas where you need to be sure that your attorney is experienced and understands the interplay among the plea agreement, the indictment, and how the sentence would be imposed.

Many clients have come to us disappointed and upset because they pled guilty to one count but were sentenced on information related to all of the counts in the indictment. This is called relevant conduct and is difficult to eliminate from the plea bargaining process without specific terms and conditions applied to the agreement as well as in the sentencing arguments.