Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
2321 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 5200, El Segundo, CA 90245
1001 Haxall Point, Richmond, VA 23219
180 Park Ave, Suite 106, Florham Park, NJ 07932
690 S Ponce Ct., NE, Atlanta, GA 30307-1667
30 Rockefeller Plaza, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10112
600 Brickell Ave, Suite 1500, Miami, FL 33131
1869 Charter Lane, PO Box 10248, Lancaster, PA 17601
1200 Huntington Center, 41 South High St., Columbus, OH 43215
310 North Mesa Street, Suite 212, El Paso, TX 79901
555 West 5th Street, 31st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013
53 W. Jackson, Suite 1035, Chicago, IL 60604
2200 Powell Street, Suite 1050, Emeryville, CA 94608
2602 13th Street, Suite 300, Gulfport, MS 39501
111 Washington Ave, Ste 303, Albany, NY 12210
3800 Eighth Street North, Suite 102, St. Cloud, MN 56303
30 Rockefeller Plaza, 43rd Floor, New York, NY 10112-4498
50 California St, Suite 3600, San Francisco, CA 94111
1617 North Waterfront Parkway, Suite 400, Wichita, KS 67206-6639
300 South Grand Avenue, Suite 2900, Los Angeles, CA 90071
N17W24222 Riverwood Dr, Suite 250, Waukesha, WI 53188
1230 Main Street, Suite 700, Columbia, SC 29201
1548 The Greens Way, Suite 2, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
10104 W 105th St, Overland Park, KS 66212
3131 McKinney Avenue, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75204
4405 Commons Drive East, Suite 102, Destin, FL 32540
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.