AID AND ABET / 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2(a) is a type of criminal liability that is set out in the United States Code. It states that anyone who aids, abets, counsels, induces, or procures another person to commit a crime can be held criminally liable as if they had committed the crime themselves. This is known as an "accessory before the fact" as opposed to an "accessory after the fact" who helps or attempts to help someone avoid being convicted of a crime. The two types of AID AND ABET / 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2(a) are aiding and abetting and conspiracy. Aiding and abetting involves helping someone to commit a crime, while conspiracy involves an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime.