District of Columbia Jury Instruction — Conspiracy to Defraud United States is a legal guideline provided to jurors during a trial involving a conspiracy to defraud the United States government. This instruction helps jurors understand the elements of the offense, burden of proof, and the standard of evidence required to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Conspiracy to defraud the United States is a serious offense that involves a scheme to deceive or obstruct the federal government's lawful functions. It requires the existence of an agreement between two or more individuals to commit fraud against the government, with the specific intent to deceive or obstruct. The following are the key elements necessary to establish a conspiracy to defraud the United States: 1. Agreement: A conspiracy requires the existence of an agreement between two or more individuals. However, it is not necessary for all members of the agreement to know each other or participate directly in the fraud. 2. Fraudulent Intent: The conspirators must possess a specific intent to defraud the United States. This means they intend to deceive or obstruct the government in the performance of its duties or lawful functions. 3. Unlawful Objective: The objective of the conspiracy must be unlawful. Engaging in conduct that obstructs the government's lawful operations, impairs its financial integrity, or deceives it in any way constitutes an unlawful objective. 4. Overt Act: To establish a conspiracy, there must be at least one overt act committed in furtherance of the agreement. It is important to note that the overt act itself does not need to be unlawful; it only needs to demonstrate progress towards accomplishing the intended fraud. It is crucial for jurors to understand that the government has the burden of proving each element of the conspiracy to defraud the United States beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that if any element is not sufficiently proven, the jury must acquit the defendant. There may be different types of District of Columbia Jury Instructions related to conspiracy to defraud the United States, depending on the specific circumstances of the case. These variations could include instructions for different types of fraudulent schemes, such as tax fraud, healthcare fraud, financial fraud, or procurement fraud, among others. Each instruction would outline the relevant elements, intent, and overt acts necessary to establish a particular conspiracy to defraud the United States charge.