Top Carlisle, PA RICO Lawyers Near You
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200 Locust Street, Suite 400, Harrisburg, PA 17101
305 North Front Street, 5th Floor, PO Box 1003, Harrisburg, PA 17108
200 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 300, Camp Hill, PA 17011
2225 Sycamore St, Suite 755, Harrisburg, PA 17111
, Enola, PA 17025
240 N. 3rd Street, 5th FL, Harrisburg, PA 17101
100 Market Street, Suite 200, PO Box 1181, Harrisburg, PA 17108
300 Corporate Center Dr, Suite 200, Camp Hill, PA 17011
3401 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110
213 Market Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
17 North 2nd Street, 12th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
240 North Third Street, 7th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
2805 Old Post Rd, Suite 100, Harrisburg, PA 17110
2 North Second Street, 7th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
112 Market Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
17 N Second St, Suite 1420, Harrisburg, PA 17101
17 N. Second St., Suite 1410, Harrisburg, PA 17101
17 North Second Street, 18th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
100 Pine Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
409 North Second Street, Suite 500, Harrisburg, PA 17101
2 West High Street, Carlisle, PA 17013
1100 Bent Creek Boulevard, Suite 101, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
4200 Crums Mill Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112
4250 Crums Mill Road, Suite 201, Harrisburg, PA 17112
Carlisle 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.