The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, also known as “RICO,” was created by the government to eradicate organized crime by applying severe penalties to individuals convicted of committing or conspiring to commit two or more acts of “racketeering activity.” Today, RICO is applied much more broadly than initially envisioned. Under the relevant statutes, many different state and federal crimes can qualify as RICO crimes when they are committed on behalf of a criminal enterprise, including money laundering, extortion, theft, racketeering, mail fraud, wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud, securities fraud, conspiracy, embezzlement, investment scams, bribery, and drug trafficking.
In their prior careers as federal prosecutors and in their current private practice, our attorneys have considerable experience prosecuting and defending civil and criminal RICO matters. Our prosecutorial experience enables us to anticipate how the government will structure its case and prepare the best defense for our clients.