Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
401 Commerce St, Suite 1010, Nashville, TN 37219
100 Ashley Dr S, Suite 1450, Tampa, FL 33602
333 South Hope Street, Suite 2610, Los Angeles, CA 90071
2120 1st Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
633 Chestnut Street, Suite 300, Chattanooga, TN 37450
2301 Virginia Parkway, McKinney, TX 75071
2929 Carlson Drive, Suite 304, Hammond, IN 46323
100 N Sierra St, Suite 220, Reno, NV 89501
137 E 13th St, Erie, PA 16503
2828 North Harwood, 19th Floor, Suite 1950, Dallas, TX 75201
500 Delaware Ave, Suite 600, Wilmington, DE 19801
2020 Brice Rd., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
445 Marine View Ave, Suite 300, Del Mar, CA 92014
811 Main Street, Suite 2900, Houston, TX 77002
1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020-1095
1109 Woodland Street, Unit 68040, Nashville, TN 37206
300 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1010, Wilmington, DE 19801
1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-6064
1801 Page Mill Road, Suite 110, Palo Alto, CA 94304
1333 Main Street, Suite 510, Columbia, SC 29201
8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Suite 900, Tysons Corner, VA 22182
108 W. Church Street, 2nd Floor, Livingston, TX 77351
2100 Coral Wy, Suite 200-6, Miami, FL 33145
321 N. Clark Street, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60654
440 Royal Palm Way, Suite 202, Palm Beach, FL 33480
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.