Help if you can please - PA law and conspiracy

[NatalieB]

This might get a bit lengthy, but I'm going to try and get the details out as completely as I can in my first post. I'll add more if I should be giving important information, but forget to state it here. All advice will be much appreciated (aside from contacting an attorney which may ultimately be the case, but for unknown reasons, the boy's mother doesn't want to go that route right now).

Okay, my daughter's boyfriend is 18 years old. Yesterday, he received a phone call from a friend who said he had 2 friends (unknown to BF) that needed a ride. So, he asked the BF if he could give them a ride. He agrees and picks up his friend (that he does know), then goes and gets the 2 unknown passengers.

They stop at our local skate park. The 2 unknown people wanted to meet up with some people there. Keep in mind, all this is not known to my daughter's BF or his friend beforehand.

Okay, at the skate park, these people are already there (the ones the unknown passengers want to meet up with). I should also add that the BF owns a Camaro that is currently for sale. The woman (unknowns = 1 male, 1 female) asks if she can drive the car saying she was perhaps interested in purchasing it (this may have been a ploy for all I know or the BF for that matter or the 1 friend this boy actually did know).

So, the one guy gets out, approaches the other vehicle (people he'd planned on meeting here) and this guy reached in the other automobile and grabbed for a wallet (that apparently had over $800 in it, though I don't think anyone knows for sure the exact amount aside from the guy who the wallet belonged to). After taking the wallet, he heads back to the BF's car (his GF is now in the driver's seat) and as he gets in, he tells the GF to GO.

As she's driving away (boy has a t-top and it was removed), the guy who'd had his wallet stolen was holding onto the car. I'm not sure what injuries he sustained aside from cuts to head and face and possible concussion, but he did need to go to the emergency room).

Once my daughter's BF got possession of his vehicle back, the one friend was able to get the wallet back, but not the money. So, he immediately called these people (he must have known them, but my daughter's BF only knew one of those guys and he didn't know the guy who had his wallet stolen) to tell them he got the wallet back, but not the money. He wanted to make arrangements to get the wallet back to its owner.

Immediately after all this, my daughter's BF had to get to work. So while he was at work, LE came to check out his car. He went out to talk to them and gave them permission to search the car. They didn't believe the BF's story (though this boy insists that this is truly the WHOLE truth - and I believe him). Both the BF and the friend he knew both told LE the exact same story (cause it was indeed the truth). Ultimately, LE didn't believe the BF (the other guy thought they believed him and they both had the same story). After allowing them to search the car and getting his statement, LE impounded his car telling him they can keep it for up to 6 months.

One last thing I'd like to mention (that I recall right now anyway) is, the guy who stole the wallet has been calling my daughter's boyfriend's friend (lol, sorry, hope you got that - he was the guy who called the BF in the first place to ask for the ride for the others). Well, all day tonight, the wallet stealing thief kept calling this guy and threatening him if he told LE anything else. Eventually, the guy called LE about the threats and supposedly, LE stated they'd track the calls to the house and if one more call came in, they'd also add those charges to the thief's rap sheet.

Along withimpounding the car though, they also told him he conspired to the crime and could be facing a jail sentence.

My question is, doesn't one have to make a willful act to be charged with conspiracy? Obviously he's not been charged, but he is scared he might be. I told him that I tended to think they were just trying to scare him. The only thing that leads me to believe they could get him on conspiracy charges is that he did not call police himself.

I think that's it. Anyone have any thoughts and opinions? Remember, mom doesn't want to hire an attorney (at least not now). If he's charged, she'll probably tell him to plead guilty and just get it over with, though (I hope that's not the case though). I told him I could back the mother for now about not contacting an attorney, but I said, if you're charged, DO NOT plead guilty UNLESS an attorney tells you to do so. I also explained his right to a free PD. I don't want him pleading guilty and having a criminal record if an attorney feels he's truly not guilty.

Ultimately, LE could be just trying to scare the crap out of him (and it's working). Time will tell on that I guess. Does anyone know how long LE might also keep the car for? They said they could keep it up to 6 months, but that doesn't mean they will.