substantive crime n: a crime that does not have as an element the performance of some other crime: a crime that is not dependent on another
indicted and convicted of conspiracy to attempt to enter the bank and the substantive crime of attempting to enter the bank — United States v. Clay, 495 F.2d 700 (1974) – called also substantive offense; compare accessory, conspiracy
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.