RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) is often a way that the Federal Government tries to identify a conspiracy between multiple people in a related crime. RICO is used to make sentencing even more punitive because it is not usually the only charge brought against a defendant. By including RICO with other charges, prosecutors may be trying to add multiple years to a prison sentence.
RICO statutes are designed to prosecute the leaders of an organized crime scheme. The organized crime scheme could involve bribery, as in the case of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick who was accused and convicted of running a criminal operation from the mayor’s office to accept bribes. It could also include other types of crimes such as drug distribution rings, sports gambling operations, importations of counterfeit goods, or any other criminal activity involving numerous people. RICO was created so that those that ordered the criminal activity and profited from it, but did not actually actively participate in the crime itself, could be prosecuted.
At Boles Holmes White , our history—and success—with high-level drug cases, fraud, white collar crime, and RICO related charges lets us confidently state our goal for all of our clients: dismissal of charges or acquittal at trial. Contact Boles Holmes White for advice on how to proceed if you are facing:
Despite contending with the vast resources of the Federal Government, our criminal defense attorneys have had success in representing clients being investigated for RICO cases and a broad range of felony prosecutions throughout Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and across the nation.
The nature of RICO cases, is that there are typically government cooperators or “snitches” that receive something of value in return for their testimony against the defendant. The RICO attorneys at Boles Holmes White are experienced in impeaching these witnesses and showing the jury their biases.
Attorneys William White and Clayton Tartt have over 35 years of combined experience in numerous areas of federal law. They have a reputation as skilled trial lawyers along with a history of success in high profile cases related to white collar crime. William White was part of the team that defended Richard Scrushy, former CEO of Birmingham-based HealthSouth, who was indicted on Sarbanes-Oxley Act charges. The case was one of the largest fraud cases in U.S. history with billions of dollars in dispute. In 2005, Scrushy was acquitted of all the 36 charges brought against him. This is only one example of our success.
Both William White and Clayton Tartt also represented clients in the Alabama “Bingo Trials” with William White representing Senator Harri Anne Smith and Clayton Tartt representing Milton McGregor. Both of their clients were found “not guilty” on bribery related charges in the high profile prosecution in federal court in Montgomery.
The partners at Boles Holmes White have more than five decades of experience with cases involving the most complex federal law. Along with a team of other criminal defense attorneys and paralegals at the firm, Boles Holmes White will rigorously defend you.
Boles Holmes White LLC is a full-service law firm providing transactional, litigation, government relations and white collar/criminal defense. We represent both businesses and individuals throughout the Southeast Region. As a full-service law firm with roots in the small town of Dothan and with large Birmingham firm experience, all of our attorneys strive to provide clients “big firm” representation with “small town” accessibility and personal attention. That is what sets us apart.
no representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
