§25. Accessories after the fact

           A. An accessory after the fact is any person who, after the commission of a felony, shall harbor, conceal, or aid the offender, knowing or having reasonable ground to believe that he has committed the felony, and with the intent that he may avoid or escape from arrest, trial, conviction, or punishment.

           B. An accessory after the fact may be tried and punished, notwithstanding the fact that the principal felon may not have been arrested, tried, convicted, or amenable to justice.

           C. Except as provided in Subsection D of this Section, whoever becomes an accessory after the fact shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than five years, or both; provided that in no case shall his punishment be greater than one-half of the maximum provided by law for a principal offender.

           D.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, whoever becomes an accessory after the fact to a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 shall be imprisoned in the same manner as the principal offender for not less than one-half of the minimum sentence provided by law for a principal offender and not more than one-half of the maximum sentence provided by law for a principal offender.

           (2) Whoever becomes an accessory after the fact to a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 punishable by life imprisonment shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than ten years nor more than fifty years, without benefit of parole, 0probation, or suspension of sentence.

           Amended by Acts 2026, No. 507, §1, eff. August 1, 2026.