Top Fort Defiance, AZ RICO Lawyers Near You
13747 Montfort Dr, Suite 315, Dallas, TX 75240
10250 Constellation Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90067
600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 900, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
2363 Gulf to Bay Blvd, Suite 100, Clearwater, FL 33765
55 Jewelers Park Drive, Suite 400, Neenah, WI 54956
One Beacon Street, Suite 1320, Boston, MA 02108
303 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Towson, MD 21204
24211 E. Strode Road, Blue Springs, MO 64015
1950 University Avenue, Suite 450, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
100 Bull Street, Suite 200, Savannah, GA 31401
304 Ross St, STE 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
200 Locust Street, Suite 400, Harrisburg, PA 17101
19 West Hargett Street, Suite 400, Raleigh, NC 27601
7570 Bales St, Suite 220, Liberty Township, OH 45069
1901 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90067
185 Asylum Street, 6th Floor, Hartford, CT 06103
400 Renaissance Center, Suite 2600, Detroit, MI 48243
176 Lexington Ave, Suite O, New York, NY 10016
277 S Washington St, Suite 210, Alexandria, VA 22314
150 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017-5639
100 Pearl Street, 10th Floor, Hartford, CT 06103
500 Capitol Mall, Suite 2350, Sacramento, CA 95814
8 Campus Dr, #105, Parsippany, NJ 07054
555 South Flower Street, 31st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
441 Lexington Ave, Suite 504, New York, NY 10017
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.