Top Running Springs, CA RICO Lawyers Near You
240 North Third Street, 7th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
5 W Hargett St, Suite 1100, Raleigh, NC 27601
1731 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130
1050 K Street NW, Suite 1040, Washington, DC 20001
500 W 2nd St, Suite 1900, Austin, TX 78701
1650 Market St, Suite 3300, Philadelphia, PA 19103
5015 Birch Street, Suite 107, Newport Beach, CA 92660
400 East Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39201
501 West Broadway, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101
One American Square, Suite 2300, Indianapolis, IN 46282
1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-8704
4900 Fournace Place, Suite 414, Bellaire, TX 77401
110 West North Street, Suite 100, PO Box 1746, Greenville, SC 29601
115 North 3rd Street, Suite 301, Wilmington, NC 28401
10 Post Office Square, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109
10250 Constellation Blvd., 19th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067
50 South 16th Street, Suite 3200, Philadelphia, PA 19102-2555
3001 Easton Ave., Bethlehem, PA 18017
515 North Flagler Drive, Suite 800, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
200 Campus Drive, Suite 300, Florham Park, NJ 07932
1776 K Street NW, Suite 737, Washington, DC 20006
7502 E Monterey Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
1900 N Pearl St, Suite 2200, Dallas, TX 75201
450 Park Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10022
1441 W Ute Blvd, Suite 330, Park City, UT 84098
Running Springs 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.