Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
2 Congress St, #2C, Hartford, CT 06114
6501 Americas Pkwy, Suite 670, Albuquerque, NM 87110
1200 Jefferson Ave, Suite 205, PO Box 1138, Oxford, MS 38655
633 W 5th St, Suite 6400, Los Angeles, CA 90071
222 Lakeview Avenue, Suite #1400, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
33 Wood Ave South, Suite 600, Iselin, NJ 08830
571 Savannah Hwy, Suite A, Charleston, SC 29407
One Century Tower, 265 Church Street - Suite 300, New Haven, CT 06510
1 Carecore Dr, Suite 202, Bluffton, SC 29910
101 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10178
8 Southwoods Blvd, Suite 300, Albany, NY 12211
321 Ballenger Center Dr., Suite 202, Frederick, MD 21703
44 1st St, Mount Clemens, MI 48043
12505 Park Potomac Ave, Potomac, MD 20854
301 E. 4th Street, Suite 2800, Cincinnati, OH 45202
200 Ottawa Ave NW, Suite 700, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
3375 Tamiami Trail E, Ste 200, Naples, FL 34112
5237 Summerlin Commons Blvd, Suite 350, Fort Myers, FL 33907
420 L St, Suite 550, Anchorage, AK 99501
2411 Oak Street, Suite 206, Myrtle Beach, SC 29578
100 North Main, Suite 1001, Wichita, KS 67202
1825 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC 20006-5403
533 Airport Blvd, Suite 400, Burlingame, CA 94010
2 Embarcadero Center, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94111
5955 S Redwood Rd, Suite 103, Taylorsville, UT 84123
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.