Boyle V. S. (07-1309)

I first heard of RICO when watching the television series Sons of Anarchy (SOA). It appears in SOA because the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms unit) is trying to put the motorcycle club away for weapons trafficking – which is a serious crime in the US, especially if it 's international. Soo what is R.I.C.O.? RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations. It is a law that was passed in the 1970s that was designed to fight organized crime in the United States. Crimes may include: illegal gambling, bribery, kidnapping, murder, money laundering, counterfeiting, embezzlement, drug trafficking, slavery, and a host of other unlawful business carry outs. To convict a defendant under RICO, the government must prove that the person

United States (07-1309) in 2003. Edmund Boyle and eight other men were convicted on Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations ("RICO") Act conspiracy charges, claiming that they all played a part in a series of bank robberies as members of a group called the "Night Drop Crew." In the 1990s, Edmund Boyle was a of the crew member made up of bank robbers, who were suspected to have ties to New York 's Gambino crime family. This group, better known as the "Night Drop Crew", oppressed poorly protected night security boxes and believed to have plotted more than thirty robberies. One news report estimated that Boyle and his crew ultimately stole more than $1 million. Directing their attention to banks mostly in the New York City area. Each crew member had a specific task to manage; Boyle 's job was to steal the getaway car. In 2003, Boyle and his associates were indicted for the 1994 robbery of a branch of the National Westminster Bank in Brooklyn. Boyle tried to have the indictment terminated pleading that other groups were in fact responsible for the robberies. These groups were known as the “New Springville Boys” and the “Bank Crew.” The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) deprived Boyle of his plea and the trial proceeded. The United States decided to go after Boyle because most of his accomplices decided to plead guilty before the start of trial. As the trial continued the United States retitled the

Based on my knowledge on conspiracy I believe that the RICO act is necessary but can also be not useful depending how the defendant pleads his case. Conspiracy is defined as a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful. I think the RICO act is necessary because part of me believes that organizations would continue to get away with heinous crimes if the act was non-existing. Another reason to I believe RICO is necessary is because it has been important to up and coming laws. RICO has led to revitalizing the interest in civil punishment. RICO has advanced the understanding of crime in criminal occupations and has been able to advance their knowledge of illegal behavior. I also believe that in order for someone to be indicted under the RICO act they must have knowledge of crimes they are committing. In order for the defendant to be liable he or she should have mens rea to establish that the crime committed was thought out. This is important because if the defendant had no knowledge of a connection with any sort of conspiracy they cannot be considered as a conspirator. I think another reason for it to be unnecessary is because the individual must have at least two allegations on them of racketeering offenses in order to be qualified to be accused of RICO. I would like to believe that people might be smart enough to realize if someone is keeping a track on them that they would keep a low profile so they don’t have another accusation against them. In order to