Cheats and criminals caught out (5)
I believe the answer is:
rooks
'cheats' is the definition.
(rooking is a kind of cheating)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rooks that I've seen before include "Cheats" , "Overcharges" , "Castles, also, in chess" , "Collective name for them is a parliament" , "Fleeces; chessmen" .)