Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
191 Peachtree St NE, 46th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303-1740
208 Calvert Street, Salisbury, MD 21801
601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
Trammell Crow Center, 2001 Ross Avenue, Suite 3900, Dallas, TX 75201
1629 K St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
10 W Market St, 2700 Market Tower, Indianapolis, IN 46204
3100 W 7th St, Suite 420, Fort Worth, TX 76107
914 Grove St, Suite 102, Vicksburg, MS 39183
801 Grand Avenue, Suite 4100, Des Moines, IA 50309
1 South Street, 20th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202
737 Tehama Street, No. 3, San Francisco, CA 94103
2398 East Camelback Road, Suite 850, Phoenix, AZ 85016-9007
13508. Booker T. Washington Hwy, Moneta, VA 24121
801 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
353 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654
101 S. Capitol Blvd., Suite 1100, Boise, ID 83702
7095 Indiana Avenue, Suite 200, Riverside, CA 92506
One Beacon St, Suite 16100, Boston, MA 02108
506 Carnegie Center Dr, Suite 300, Princeton, NJ 08540
The Cherokee Building, 400 West Church Avenue, Suite 101, Knoxville, TN 37902
600 University St, Suite 310, Seattle, WA 98101
6505 Rockside Rd, Suite 113, Independence, OH 44131
2101 L Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037
10 South Wacker Drive, 40th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
1800 M St NW, Suite 450N, Washington, DC 20036
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.