Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
101 E High St, First Floor, Jefferson City, MO 65101
11845 W Olympic Blvd, Suite 520, Los Angeles, CA 90064
26 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10004
1405 Crenshaw Blvd, 2nd Floor, Torrance, CA 90501
331 2nd Ave S, Suite 705, Minneapolis, MN 55401
1900 Northwest Expy, Suite 601, Oklahoma City, OK 73118
200 Schulz Drive, Suite 402, Red Bank, NJ 07701
500 Woodward Ave, Suite 3600, Detroit, MI 48226
98 San Jacinto Blvd, Suite 1600, Austin, TX 78701
2 South Biscayne Blvd, Suite 2530, Miami, FL 33131
32455 W 12 Mile Rd, Suite 3039, Farmington, MI 48334
201 E Las Olas Blvd, Suite 1500, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
4408 Spicewood Springs Road, Austin, TX 78759
10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Eighth Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067
111 Broadway, Suite 701, New York, NY 10006
1200 G St NW, Ste 800, Washington, DC 20005
2527 Nelson Miller Pkwy, Ste 101, Louisville, KY 40223
1841 Page Mill Rd, Suite 250, Palo Alto, CA 94304
PO Box 456, Mequon, WI 53092
5 Park Plaza, Suite 1600, Irvine, CA 92614
2700 Weston Centre, 112 East Pecan Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
2321 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 5200, El Segundo, CA 90245
280 Plaza, Suite 1300, 280 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215
201 3rd St NW, Suite 500, Albuquerque, NM 87102
32398 Woodward Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48073
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.