Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
488 Madison Ave, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10022
100 Webster Circle, Suite 104, Madison, MS 39110
707 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 4100, Los Angeles, CA 90017
1117 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
1800 M St NW, Suite 450N, Washington, DC 20036
45 Memorial Circle, PO Box 5307, Augusta, ME 04332
52 West Whittier Street, Columbus, OH 43206
707 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 6000, Los Angeles, CA 90017
400 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
10250 Constellation Blvd, Suite 1850, Los Angeles, CA 90067
1645 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, Suite 1200, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
399 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022-4689
1909 K Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006
1400 Centrepark Blvd, Suite 605, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
111 N Magnolia Ave, Suite 1450, Orlando, FL 32801
633 W Fifth St, Suite 5000, Los Angeles, CA 90071
1650 Market St, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103
1510 East Arlington Blvd, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27858
2049 Century Park E, Suite 3200, Los Angeles, CA 90067-3218
10250 Constellation Blvd., 19th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067
2021 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1600, Dallas, TX 75201
233 E Redwood St, Suite 1000C, Baltimore, MD 21202
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 915, New York, NY 10170
4410 Golf Terrace, Suite 210, Eau Claire, WI 54701
40 Lake Center Drive, 401 Rte 73 N, Suite 200, Marlton, NJ 08053
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.