Originally Posted by
RichardKenner
Potential criminal matters. It applies when somebody has a "reasonable cause to apprehend danger from a direct answer" (Ohio v. Reiner). In other words, if there were an articulable reason that a truthful answer to the question could put one in danger of a criminal prosecution, one may assert the privilege, whether or not one is guilty of any crime.
Thanks to
18 USC 1001, the less said to government agents the better.