Federal racketeering laws arose from the legal difficulty of prosecuting the leaders of organized criminal cartels. Although the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, also known as 18 USC §§ 1961-1968, is not often used to prosecute organized crime like the mafia, it is still used for a wide variety of criminal activities based on organized crime.
How Long Do I Have to File a RICO Claim?
If your organization has been affected by extortion, blackmail, bribery, or another related offense, you may have a RICO claim. Title 18 of the United States Code, section 3282, states that no person can be brought to trial, prosecuted, or punished for any non-capital offense unless they are indicted or information is filed within five years. However, some criminal activities connected with racketeering may not be protected by the statute of limitation provided by Title 18.
Common Types of Racketeering Activity
The success of your RICO claim will heavily depend on the existence and impact of the defendant’s pattern of racketeering activity. Racketeering activity includes an extensive list of state and federal crimes, which include but are not limited to:
- Murder for hire
- Bribery
- Extortion
- Drug crimes
- Fraud
- Gambling
- Money laundering
- Sexual exploitation of children
- And more
How to File a RICO Claim
If you believe that you have a valid claim under RICO, our civil RICO attorneys can help you. We have represented clients with RICO claims throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We can help you minimize the negative impact of your case and maximize your compensation.
Discover how we can help you by contacting our Pennsylvania RICO attorneys today at (610) 550-8042!