---
title: "What happens if the charges are dropped by the cardholder?"
description: "The cardholder does not control the prosecution. Once the state files charges, only the Attorney General's office or the court can dismiss them. A cardholder who later says \"I don't want to press..."
url: https://bankandmunns.com/faq-items/what-happens-if-the-charges-are-dropped-by-the-cardholder/
date: 2026-04-22
modified: 2026-04-29
author: "Bank and Munns"
type: avada_faq
lang: en
---

# What happens if the charges are dropped by the cardholder?

The cardholder does not control the prosecution. Once the state files charges, only the Attorney General's office or the court can dismiss them. A cardholder who later says "I don't want to press charges" can write a letter, but the state decides whether to proceed. That said, a supportive cardholder letter is significant mitigation - especially combined with paid restitution, a clean record, and an early plea-negotiation posture. In practice, Rhode Island prosecutors do dismiss or substantially reduce charges when the victim is uncooperative, restitution is paid, and the defendant has no meaningful record. Do not ask the cardholder to recant - that can become witness tampering.