Frame-up
A **frame-up** is a deceptive act where false evidence or information is fabricated and presented to falsely implicate an innocent person in a crime. It typically involves manipulating circumstances or planting evidence to make it appear as though someone committed a wrongdoing they did not commit. The intention behind a **frame-up** is often to discredit, punish, or silence the targeted individual, or to protect the true perpetrator. These scenarios demonstrate a perversion of justice and rely on deception and manipulation to subvert the legal process. The success of a **frame-up** depends on the careful crafting of misleading evidence and the exploitation of existing biases or suspicions.
Frame-up meaning with examples
- The political activist claimed the police were attempting a frame-up, alleging that evidence linking him to the protest's violent acts had been fabricated to silence his criticisms. His lawyers argued this evidence was planted to discredit him and shut him down.
- The investigative journalist uncovered a conspiracy to frame-up a rival company's CEO. She revealed documents showing how evidence was manipulated and witnesses were coerced to provide false testimony for the planned indictment in a large corruption case.
- After the defendant was found innocent, his lawyer argued that the prosecution had engaged in a frame-up, pointing to inconsistencies in the evidence, the biased investigation, and the coerced testimonies as signs of a calculated plot.
- The whistleblower provided documents that revealed a corporate cover-up designed to frame-up a scapegoat for a major product defect. The documents showed that management knew of the flaw but sacrificed an engineer to protect the company's image.