Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
1100 Poydras St, Energy Centre Ste 2950, New Orleans, LA 70163-1133
1512 E McKinney St, Denton, TX 76209
234 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
101 Park Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10178
Two Penn Center Plaza, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1706
1144 Market St, Suite 300, Wheeling, WV 26003
2907 Providence Rd, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28211
2320 First Street, Suite 1000, Fort Myers, FL 33901
2525 E. Camelback Road, Suite 1000, Phoenix, AZ 85016
2200 Ross Avenue, Suite 4800 West, Dallas, TX 75201
1201 N Market St, Suite 1406, Wilmington, DE 19801
2005 Market Street, Suite 1000, Philadelphia, PA 19103
301 Commerce St, Suite 3635, Fort Worth, TX 76102
100 Pine St, Suite 3100, San Francisco, CA 94111
1317 W. Foothill Boulevard, Suite 245, Upland, CA 91786
650 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
200 East Robinson, Suite 1150, Orlando, FL 32801
50 Park Place, Suite 900, Newark, NJ 07102
380 Knollwood Street, Suite 530, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
5353 Gamble Dr, Suite 125, Minneapolis, MN 55416
500 North Capitol St NW, Washington, DC 20001
501 Fayetteville St, Suite 500, Raleigh, NC 27601
112 West 34th Street, Suite 1515, New York, NY 10120
713 Kirby Street, PO Box 3305, Lake Charles, LA 70601
445 S Figueroa St, Suite 2300, Los Angeles, CA 90071
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.