Long Island RICO Lawyer

RICO Attorney in Long Island, NY

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act was enacted by the federal government to make it easier to combat organized crime. If you’re facing charges under RICO, you should take the situation very seriously. Find a skilled Long Island RICO lawyer who can help you establish an effective defense as soon as possible.

Trust Jonathan Savella

The Law Office of Jonathan Savella has been practicing complex criminal law for over a decade. In that time, he has taken on many RICO cases in Long Island, providing clients with a robust defense against these serious charges. Our team can help you understand the charges against you, evaluate the evidence, and develop a defense strategy most likely to avoid serious repercussions.

Why Hire a RICO Lawyer?

RICO cases are difficult to build because of their complexity, so it should come as no surprise that they aren’t terribly common. From 2012 to 2022, the US attorneys’ offices concluded 1,131 RICO Act investigations. These investigations involved 4,698 people. In 2022, 295 people were investigated, and 149 of them were prosecuted. A total of 98.8% of those prosecuted were convicted, and 84.7% of them were sentenced to prison.

If you’re being prosecuted under RICO at either the Central Islip or Brooklyn Courthouse, your chances of conviction are very high. That’s why you need to hire a RICO lawyer as soon as possible after you become aware of the investigation. Your lawyer will be able to help you come up with an effective defense strategy if your case goes to trial or negotiate on your behalf if you decide to take a plea deal offered by the prosecution.

What Is Racketeering?

Racketeering, the primary concern of the RICO Act, doesn’t refer to a single crime. It refers to an organized scheme of people committing crimes, including threats, extortion, bribery, and violence. These crimes are varied and can occur over a long period, but they must in some way affect commerce. The key elements of a racketeering charge are that the crimes:

• Occur at an organizational level
• Involve a pattern of activity
• Affect interstate or foreign commerce

You don’t need to commit a crime directly to be prosecuted under RICO. If you are indirectly involved through involvement with the criminal organization, you could still be charged. If your charges involve the illegal movement of money, you may also require assistance from a Long Island money laundering lawyer to defend against related offenses.

Understanding RICO

The enactment of the RICO Act was intended to give prosecutors additional tools to fight organized crime. It allows leaders of gangs or other organized crime units to face racketeering charges, which are often used to bring down entire criminal organizations.

There are 35 different crimes covered by RICO, many of which are frequently associated with organized crime. They include:

• Gambling
• Prostitution
• Debt collection
• Counterfeiting
• Money laundering
• Kidnapping
• Murder for hire
• Slavery and human trafficking
• Drug crimes
• Weapons crimes
• And many others

RICO allows even seemingly minor crimes to be tied to the larger picture of a criminal organization, allowing all of their criminal activities to add up to a serious conviction.

RICO Violations

There are four ways you can violate the criminal provisions of the RICO Act:

1. You can invest or spend the money earned from a racketeering enterprise.
2. You can acquire or control an interest in the enterprise.
3. You can participate either directly or indirectly in unlawful debt collection or racketeering activity.
4. You can conspire directly or indirectly to commit certain criminal acts as part of the racketeering enterprise.

To prove these charges, prosecutors must prove that:

• A criminal enterprise existed.
• That enterprise had a direct effect on interstate or foreign commerce.
• The defendant was directly or indirectly associated with the enterprise.
• The defendant engaged in at least two racketeering activities over a 10-year period as part of the enterprise.

A RICO attorney can find holes in the prosecution’s case and try to disprove their theory of the crime. It is essential to have an attorney who can challenge the evidence, especially in complex federal cases, and understand how to deal with issues like federal appeals.

FAQs

Are RICO Cases Hard to Win?

RICO cases are very hard to win because they can be very complex, often involving multiple defendants. Because the prosecution will be focused on proving a pattern of racketeering, it’s often difficult to disprove RICO charges, as numerous crimes are linked together to make a compelling case. These cases typically carry severe penalties if the defendant is convicted. You can improve your chances of winning by hiring a Long Island RICO attorney.

Has Anyone Ever Beaten a RICO Charge?

People have beaten RICO charges with the help of skilled attorneys. Successful defenses have involved challenging the prosecution’s evidence, proving that there was no pattern of crimes, or showing that the defendant was not a part of the enterprise responsible for the crimes. Other defense strategies include proving a lack of criminal intent and arguing that law enforcement violated the defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights during the investigation.

What Is a RICO Attorney?

A RICO attorney is a lawyer who focuses on defending clients against charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a complicated federal law used to prosecute organized crime. RICO attorneys can also handle civil claims related to RICO violations, including fraud, bribery, extortion, lending, and money laundering.

What Qualifies as a RICO Case?

What qualifies as a RICO case is any case built on the government providing proof that a criminal enterprise exists, the defendant was involved in it, and they engaged in a pattern of criminal activity related to racketeering. These activities can include fraud, bribery, drug trafficking, or other crimes. The prosecution then links the crimes to show that a criminal scheme was in place.

Your Long Island RICO Lawyer

If you’ve been accused of heading a criminal enterprise, you need to find a Long Island RICO lawyer who can defend you against the charges and protect your rights throughout the legal process. You can trust Jonathan Savella to do the job right. Over his many years in practice, he has developed a deep understanding of RICO law and has handled numerous RICO cases. Our team can help you, too. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation today.