Understanding RICO Violations

Posted By The Law Offices of Jeffrey C. Grass || 11-Jul-2015

In 1970, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) was passed to facilitate the prosecution of individuals associated with organized crime. The law made it a federal crime to financially benefit from racketeering and to participate in racketeering. Racketeering refers to any organized and illegal activity. Although the RICO Act was initially intended to help prosecutors jail Mafia members, its use has greatly expanded over the years. This means that it’s even easier for an innocent citizen to become inadvertently caught up in a RICO investigation. If you’re facing RICO charges, you need the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney.

Racketeering Activities
There is a laundry list of racketeering activities that may be considered to violate the RICO Act. Under this law, it is a federal crime to benefit from or participate in drug trafficking, illegal weapons trafficking, prostitution, and sex trafficking. Other RICO crimes may include robbery, arson, kidnapping, homicide, witness tampering, and extortion, along with financial offenses such as securities fraud, money laundering, wire fraud, mail fraud, and counterfeiting. For a RICO violation to exist, prosecutors must prove that these activities had some effect on interstate commerce and that the activities were committed by a criminal enterprise.

Potential Penalties
By working with a criminal defense attorney, you have a better chance of avoiding the severe penalties for a RICO conviction. Individuals convicted of racketeering under the RICO Act face up to 20 years in prison for each count of racketeering. Life in prison may be the penalty for certain racketeering activities. Additionally, the court may demand the payment of a fine equaling up to twice the amount of illegal profits the defendant obtained.

Possible Defenses
A RICO violation is often difficult to prove. Your criminal defense attorney might argue that you were not a member of a criminal enterprise, that you did not benefit from or participate in the activities, or that you did not know that your actions were contributing to a criminal enterprise.

If you’re in need of a federal criminal attorney in Dallas, look no further than the Law Offices of Jeffrey C. Grass. Our federal criminal defense lawyer has more than 20 years of experience providing aggressive legal services to clients facing RICO violations. If you have any questions, call us at .