To swindle means to dispossess someone of money or property through fraud or deceit.
[Last updated in March of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
criminal law and procedure
tainted evidence
In a criminal trial, tainted evidence, also referred to as evidence of taint, is evidence that was acquired by illegal means. For example, if authorities gather evidence using a wiretap without a proper warrant, the evidence will be deemed...
taking of hostages
The taking of hostages, if perpetrated as part of an armed conflict, is a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The prosecutor must show the following elements:
The perpetrator seized, detained, or otherwise held...temporary insanity
In a criminal trial, temporary insanity is a defense that can be raised to assert that, at the time of the commission of the offense, the defendant, as a result of severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature or...
temporary restraining order (TRO)
Temporary restraining orders (TROs) are a type of short-term injunction issued to prevent a party from taking a certain action until the court is able to issue a more enduring order, such as a preliminary injunction. TROs are a type of...
Terry stop / stop and frisk
A Terry stop is another name for stop and frisk; the name was generated from the U.S Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio. When a police officer has a reasonable suspicion that an individual is armed, engaged in, or about to be engaged in criminal conduct...
testimony
Testimony is oral or written evidence given by the witness under oath, affidavit, or deposition during a trial or other legal procedures. According to Rule 43 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, testimony taking should be conducted in an...
third-degree instruction
Third degree Instruction is an instruction given by a court to a deadlocked jury to encourage it to continue deliberating until it reaches a verdict. Also called Allen charge, dynamite charge, nitroglycerine charge, and shotgun charge....
trafficking
Trafficking is the transporting of or transacting in illegal goods or people. See drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and human trafficking.
[Last updated in December of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]
trap and trace device
A device or process that records the sources of incoming signals to a specific phone or computer. Often used by law enforcement as the advanced counterpart of Caller ID. A trap and trace device identifies the phone numbers or Internet addresses of...