A suspect is someone believed to be guilty of a crime. In America a suspect is innocent until proven guilty but negative connotations are attached to his status that make it difficult to separate the term 'suspect' from 'guilt'. Legally, a suspect is a person to whom an action is brought against in a court of law or a person who is accused of a crime or sued. Many suspects must go through long court processes to prove their innocence. Afterward, their lives may have been negatively affected. This is true in the recent trend of identity theft cases sweeping the county. A criminal might commit a crime using an innocent person's identification. The innocent person becomes the 'fall guy' and is blamed for the crime. He or she will spend months of their time and thousands of dollars trying to prove their innocence. Other suspects are guilty from the outset and readily admit their guilt.