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What is the legal significance of the Supreme Court case United States v. Jimenez Recio?

The Supreme Court's ruling in United States v.

Jimenez Recio overturned a previous Ninth Circuit precedent that had held a conspiracy terminates when there is "affirmative evidence of defeat of the object of the conspiracy."

The Court unanimously rejected the Ninth Circuit's "defeat of the object" test, ruling that a conspiracy does not automatically terminate just because the government has intervened and the scheme has failed.

The Court held that a conspiracy continues until either the objectives of the conspiracy have been accomplished, the parties have abandoned the conspiracy, or the party has withdrawn.

The decision clarified that the government can prosecute a defendant for conspiracy even if the object of the conspiracy has been frustrated or the conspiracy has failed.

The case established that the government does not have to prove the conspiracy was successful in order to convict someone of conspiracy.

The ruling affirmed that the essence of a conspiracy offense is the agreement to commit an unlawful act, not the accomplishment of the criminal objective.

Jimenez Recio rejected the Ninth Circuit's view that a conspiracy terminates once the government has intervened and the scheme has been thwarted.

The decision made it easier for prosecutors to convict individuals for conspiracy even when the underlying criminal plan is disrupted by law enforcement.

The case clarified that the abandonment or withdrawal of a conspiracy is an affirmative defense that the defendant must prove.

Jimenez Recio upheld the principle that conspiracy liability can extend to defendants who join an ongoing conspiracy, even if they were not involved from the beginning.

The ruling reaffirmed that the government can prosecute a defendant for conspiracy based on circumstantial evidence of an agreement.

The decision provided guidance on when a conspiracy can be considered to have ended for statute of limitations purposes.

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