Virginia Criminal Gang Defense Attorneys

Defending Gang Charges in Virginia State & Federal Courts

In Virginia, it is illegal for any person to be part of any "criminal street gang". These are extremely serious offenses that carry life changing consequences. The Virginia law offices of SRIS, P.C. have a number of excellent Virginia gang defense lawyers in its offices in Fairfax, Lynchburg, Manassas, Richmond, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. For more information or to make an appointment with SRIS, P.C., please call, send an e-mail or complete the on-line form.

To obtain a general overview of gang defense, please click here.

To learn more about the laws pertaining to gang defense in Maryland or Massachusetts, please click on the state.

Any of the above gang relation charges are serious criminal offenses. The following are some of the different types of gang related charges one could face in the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• Definitions
• Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty
• Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty
• Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes
• Forfeiture
• Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a school zone; penalties
• Hazing of youth gang members unlawful; criminal liability

VA Code § 18.2-46.1. Definitions

As used in this article unless the context requires otherwise or it is otherwise provided:

"Act of violence" means those felony offenses described in subsection A of § 19.2-297.1.

"Criminal street gang" means any ongoing organization, association, or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, (i) which has as one of its primary objectives or activities the commission of one or more criminal activities; (ii) which has an identifiable name or identifying sign or symbol; and (iii) whose members individually or collectively have engaged in the commission of, attempt to commit, conspiracy to commit, or solicitation of two or more predicate criminal acts, at least one of which is an act of violence, provided such acts were not part of a common act or transaction.

VA Code § 18.2-46.2. Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty

A. Any person who actively participates in or is a member of a criminal street gang and who knowingly and willfully participates in any predicate criminal act committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony. However, if such participant in or member of a criminal street gang is age eighteen years or older and knows or has reason to know that such criminal street gang also includes a juvenile member or participant, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.

B. Violation of this section shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. If the acts or activities violating this section also violate another provision of law, a prosecution under this section shall not prohibit or bar any prosecution or proceeding under such other provision or the imposition of any penalties provided for thereby.

VA Code § 18.2-46.3. Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty

A. Any person who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause another to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person age 18 years or older who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause a juvenile to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

B. Any person who, in order to encourage an individual (a) to join a criminal street gang, (b) to remain as a participant in or a member of a criminal street gang, or (c) to submit to a demand made by a criminal street gang to commit a felony violation of this title, (i) uses force against the individual or a member of his family or household or (ii) threatens force against the individual or a member of his family or household, which threat would place any person in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The definition of "family or household member" set forth in § 16.1-228 applies to this section.

VA Code § 18.2-46.3:1. Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes

Upon a felony conviction of § 18.2-46.2 or § 18.2-46.3, where it is alleged in the warrant, information or indictment on which a person is convicted that (i) such person has been previously convicted twice under any combination of § 18.2-46.2 or § 18.2-46.3, within 10 years of the third or subsequent offense, and (ii) each such offense occurred on different dates, such person is guilty of a Class 3 felony.

VA Code § 18.2-46.3:2. Forfeiture

All property, both personal and real, of any kind or character used in substantial connection with, intended for use in the course of, derived from, traceable to, or realized through, including any profit or interest derived from, any conduct in violation of any provision of this article is subject to civil forfeiture to the Commonwealth. Further, all property, both personal and real, of any kind or character used or intended to be used in substantial connection with, during the course of, derived from, traceable to, or realized through, including any profit or interest derived from, criminal street gang member recruitment as prohibited under § 18.2-46.3 is subject to civil forfeiture to the Commonwealth. The forfeiture proceeding shall utilize the provisions of Chapter 22.1 (§ 19.2-386.1 et seq.) of Title 19.2 and the procedures specified therein shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to all forfeitures under this article. The application of one civil remedy under the article does not preclude the application of any other remedy, civil or criminal, under this article or any other provision of the Code.

§ 18.2-46.3:3. Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a school zone; penalties

Any person who violates § 18.2-46.2 (i) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any public or private elementary, secondary, or postsecondary school, or any public or private two-year or four-year institution of higher education; (ii) upon public property or any property open to public use within 1,000 feet of such school property; or (iii) on any school bus as defined in § 46.2-100 is guilty of a felony punishable as specified in § 18.2-46.2, and shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years. A person who violates subsection A of § 18.2- 46.3 upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 6 felony, except that any person 18 years of age or older who violates subsection A of § 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section, when such offense is committed against a juvenile, is guilty of a Class 5 felony. Any person who violates subsection B of § 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 5 felony. It is a violation of this section if the person violated § 18.2-46.2 or 18.2-46.3 on the property described in clauses (i) through (iii) regardless of where the person intended to commit such violation.

The Virginia gang defense attorneys and Law Offices of SRIS, P.C., is located in Fairfax, Lynchburg, Manassas, Richmond and Virginia Beach but our sphere of activity is statewide.

Our Virginia criminal gang defense attorneys and staff speak various languages, including English, Tamil, Spanish, French, Arabic, Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Telugu.

For more information or to make an appointment with a Virginia gang defense lawyer, please call, send an e-mail or complete the on-line form.

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