Top Running Springs, CA RICO Lawyers Near You
2121 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90067
120 South 6th St., 23rd Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402
225 Broadway, Suite 2000, San Diego, CA 92101
8350 N Central Expy, Suite 1900, Dallas, TX 75206
White Plains Center, 50 Main Street, Suite 1000, White Plains, NY 10606
1200 Jefferson Street, PO Box 1040, Washington, MO 63090
500 Capitol Mall, Suite 1080, Sacramento, CA 95814
401 North Lampasas Street, Round Rock, TX 78664
26 S Prospect St, Suite 10, Amherst, MA 01002
103 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton, NJ 08540
200 South Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33131
246 Adams Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103
15 Independence Blvd, Suite 420, Warren, NJ 07059
3200 N Central Ave, Suite 2250, Phoenix, AZ 85012
572 Washington Street, Suite 19, Wellesley, MA 02482
4403 Oleander Dr, Suite C, PMB 195, Wilmington, NC 28403
909 Fannin St, Suite 3800, Houston, TX 77010
902 East 66th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46220
1099 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001
423 Washington Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94111
118 East Garden Street, Pensacola, FL 32502
840 Crescent Centre Drive, Suite 600, Franklin, TN 37067
PO Box 7724, Little Rock, AR 72217
75 Livingston Ave, Roseland, NJ 07068
200 S. Orange Ave, Suite 2000, Orlando, FL 32801
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.