Do you know what gets a prosecutor’s legal juices flowing? A racketeering case. They are extremely aggressive in trying to increase the consequences so that it can lead to more serious legal penalties for the defendant. In the state of FL, the minimum prison sentence under state guidelines for racketeering is 34 months. The sentenced can be a maximum of 30 years, depending on the facts of the case.
Charges at the federal level can be severe as well, since government agents’ goal is to link criminal actions with an enterprise or organization. This can mean being busted for numerous “illegal” activity like bank and/or insurance fraud, possession and/or selling of drugs, identity theft, counterfeiting money and being in charge of a Ponzi scheme.
The best defense against a racketing charge is having an experienced attorney who has successfully handled federal cases involving any federal – RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) related offense. Sometimes the best thing for a defendant to do is simply tell their side of the story. Accused of extortion? Unless there is specific evidence (video or audio), it’s hard to prove that they were extorting anyone. Being called a “loan shark” is also pretty vague. Usually any time you loan money to someone, say a family member or close friend, it seems like the kind of loan that is on the up and up. When the loan is between two strangers or people who are barely acquaintances, then things can get murky.
When it comes to a case relating to racketing/RICO or any type of federal charge, have your facts straight and an attorney who is not afraid to battle aggressive prosecutors.
