Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
2560 Huntington Avenue, Suite 204, Alexandria, VA 22303
2001 M Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036-3310
777 Main Street, Suite 3300, Fort Worth, TX 76102
1201 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 2010, Oakland, CA 94612
2750 E. Cottonwood Parkway, Suite 560, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121
716 Mt. Airyshire, Suite 150, Columbus, OH 43235
125 Half Mile Rd, Suite 100, Red Bank, NJ 07701
355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1250, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Terminus 200, Suite 1200, 3333 Piedmont Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
81 Main Street, Suite 205, White Plains, NY 10601
2 International Place, Boston, MA 02110
141 Allen Toussaint Blvd, # 242, New Orleans, LA 70124
1611 County Road B West, Suite 101, Roseville, MN 55113
315 E Commerce St, Suite 301, San Antonio, TX 78205
2701 Lawrence St., Suite 116, Denver, CO 80205
2539 Bradley St, Oceanside, CA 92056
8702 Jefferson Highway Suite B, Baton Rouge, LA 70809-2233
9276 Main Street, Suite 3, Clarence, NY 14031-1913
2786 North Decatur Road, Suite 245, Decatur, GA 30033
333 N Main St., London, KY 40741
55 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001
415 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10017
10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Eighth Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067
301 Commerce St, Suite 2001, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Fort Defiance RICO Information
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What Is a RICO Violation?
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act was enacted in 1970 to address organized crime. Under RICO laws, anyone associated with the criminal group could be charged, including organization leaders who ordered or oversaw the criminal activity without directly taking part. RICO also provided for civil remedies and triple damages to recover unlawful gains.
How Do I Get a RICO Charge?
A RICO charge generally involves participation in a “criminal enterprise” with a “pattern of racketeering activity.” To get a RICO charge, the prosecutor must suspect you were involved in a criminal gang or group and the criminal activity involved more than a one-time event. Initially, RICO was used to go after organized crime and the Mafia. However, since the law went into effect, it has been used to indict a number of alleged criminal enterprises, including street gangs, motorcycle gangs, corporations, and police departments
The RICO Act also makes it a violation to conspire to commit racketeering offenses. Conspiracy to violate RICO charges means that someone can be charged and convicted even if the crime was never carried out. A conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime, with some overt act towards furthering the offense.
What Does the RICO Act Cover?
A “pattern of racketeering activity” requires at least two qualifying acts, within a period of ten years. The RICO Act has included several crimes that qualify as racketeering activity, including state and federal offenses. Acts of racketeering can include:
- Illegal gambling
- Murder
- Kidnapping
- Extortion
- Arson
- Robbery
- Bribery
- Dealing in obscene matter
- Drug offenses
- Counterfeiting
- Theft
- Embezzlement
- Fraud
- Witness tampering
- Human trafficking
- Money laundering
- Murder-for-hire
- Loan-sharking
- Terrorism
- Mail fraud
- Wire fraud
- Securities fraud
How Serious Is a RICO Charge?
A RICO charge is a serious criminal offense that carries the possibility of jail time, fines, and seizure of assets. RICO charges are federal felony charges that include imprisonment for up to 20 years or more. In addition to prison penalties, there are severe financial penalties, which include forfeiture of any interest, security, or property derived from racketeering activity.
There are also civil penalties under RICO. A violation of the RICO Act could include ordering the defendant to turn over financial or business interests, restrict future activities, and break up organizations. Civil remedies can also require restitution to any victims of the criminal offenses.
How Do You Beat a RICO Case?
When federal prosecutors charge someone with RICO offenses, the penalties can include years in federal prison and loss of your financial assets. However, you may have a strong legal case to beat RICO charges. Legal defenses may include challenging the prosecutor’s case to show there was no criminal enterprise and no pattern of criminal activity.
Even if you were involved in criminal activity, it has to be a pattern of racketeering. If there is only evidence of one crime, the defendant should not be convicted under RICO. Alternatively, committing a crime on your own without participation in a criminal organization may be another defense strategy.
Prosecutors may rely on the seriousness of RICO charges to get the defendant to plead guilty to other charges instead of facing the increased RICO penalties. However, before you plead guilty to criminal charges, you should consider talking to a criminal defense attorney for legal advice.