Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: criminal justice

An element of a crime is one of the things a prosecutor must prove in order to obtain a conviction. Each crime is defined as the combination of specific elements, and each element must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

For example, the elements of fraud are (1) a false representation; (2) knowledge of its falsity at the time; (3) an intent to induce reliance on the false representation; (4) actual and reasonable reliance; and (5) resulting harm.