What does a prosecutor do when they have a bad case? Maybe use
the "liar's plea." This option allows a defendant to plead
guilty to a different charge they did not commit in order for the
move the case forward. By using a liar's plea, a defendant can
plead guilty to a much lesser charge or different charge that would
be much more favorable to them, but still allow for some kind of
And, it's more common than you would think.
Some feel that the liar's plea is simply manipulation of the
system; however, there is some attractiveness to pleading to a
lesser charge that you did not commit rather than spending all your
Mitchell of Thompson Hine says people may be surprised how
commonly the liar’s plea is used, as well as the pros and cons of