Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
1301 Ave of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-6022
4101 Meadows Lane, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89107
One City Center, Suite 11100, Portland, ME 04101
518 17th St., Suite 1100, Denver, CO 80202
137 E 13th St, Erie, PA 16503
315 S Biscayne Blvd, Suite 300, Miami, FL 33131
90 South 7th St., Suite 3500, Minneapolis, MN 55402
1331 Spring St NW, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30309
1360 East 9th Street, 1000 IMG Center, Cleveland, OH 44114
4020 Maple Avenue, Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75219
404 W 4th St, Suite L, Santa Ana, CA 92701
1999 Avenue of the Stars, 29th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067
405 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10174-1299
2400 Hanover St, Palo Alto, CA 94304
1200 Camellia Blvd, Suite 300, Lafayette, LA 70508
100 N. Tampa St., Suite 2700, Tampa, FL 33602
850 Morrison Dr, Suite 400, Charleston, SC 29403
112 Founders Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70810
2527 Nelson Miller Pkwy, Ste 101, Louisville, KY 40223
Payne-Shoemaker Building, 240 N. Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1507
600 Superior Ave. East, Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH 44114
1185 Avenue of the Americas, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10036
750 N. Saint Paul St., Suite 600, Dallas, TX 75201
4250 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Holbrook, NY 11741
3811 Turtle Creek Blvd., Suite 1450, Dallas, TX 75219
Fort Defiance RICO Information
Lead Counsel Verified Attorneys in Fort Defiance
Lead Counsel independently verifies RICO attorneys in Fort Defiance and checks their standing with Arizona bar associations.
Our Verification Process and Criteria
Ample Experience
Attorneys must meet stringent qualifications and prove they practice in the area of law they’re verified in.
Good Standing
Be in good standing with their bar associations and maintain a clean disciplinary record.
Annual Review
Submit to an annual review to retain their Lead Counsel Verified status.
Client Commitment
Pledge to follow the highest quality client service and ethical standards.
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.