Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

Civil RICO actions: victims are compensated regardless of outcome of prosecution

February 14, 2011
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The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of federal prosecutors. The statute is often used to prosecute organized crime. Racketeering, basically, is engaging in criminal activity for the purpose of financial gain. A textbook example of RICO would be using violence to collect an unlawful debt (such [...]

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Mail fraud charges under federal law

December 11, 2010
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Of all the federal charges filed by the United States Attorney, probably the most frequently used charge in white collar criminal cases would be mail fraud. The mail fraud statute is Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. The reason for its prevalence in white collar prosecutions is that it applies to almost any scheme [...]

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Accountability for acts of another during conspiracy

December 8, 2010
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In a federal prosecution for conspiracy, the defendant is typically charged with two offenses. First, he is charged with conspiracy. Second, he is charged with the offense that he and his co-conspirators were conspiring to commit. This is known as the object of the conspiracy. For instance, a person charged in connection with a drug [...]

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The statute of limitations defense for federal crimes

December 5, 2010
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A criminal charge is like a civil lawsuit in one respect, the time limit for filing against the defendant. The federal statute of limitations that applies to criminal charges says that once 5 years has passed from the commission of the offense, the federal government is barred from filing charges. The federal statute of limitations [...]

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