(1) A person commits compounding if he accepts or agrees to accept any pecuniary benefit as consideration for: (a) Refraining from seeking prosecution of an offender; or(b) Refraining from reporting to law enforcement authorities the commission or suspected commission of any crime or information relating to a crime.(2) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the benefit received by the defendant did not exceed an amount which the defendant reasonably believed to be due as restitution or indemnification for harm caused by the crime.(3) Compounding is a class 2 misdemeanor.Amended by 2021 Ch. 462, § 276, eff. 3/1/2022.L. 71: R&RE, p. 456, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 40-8-108. L. 2021: (3) amended, (SB 21-271), ch. 3195, p. 3195, § 276, effective 3/1/2022.Section 803(2) of chapter 462 (SB 21-271), Session Laws of Colorado 2021, provides that the act changing this section applies to offenses committed on or after March 1, 2022. 2021 Ch. 462, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3). For affirmative defenses generally, see §§ 18-1-407 , 18-1-710 , and 18-1-805 .
Colorado Legal Code