Participating in or being near a riot could lead to prosecution on felony racketeering charges and property seizures under a proposal advanced by an Arizona Senate committee Thursday.
Whitey Bulger was convicted Monday of racketeering and conspiracy by a Boston jury that found he committed 11 murders and a raft other crimes as an iron-fisted crime boss.
Chattanooga officials say local police already have identified some violent criminal street gangs that officials could eventually target under an expansion of Tennessee's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act that takes effect July 1.
Chicago homicides spiked 60% in the first three months of 2012. As a result, Mayor Rahm Emanuel called on the state's General Assembly to pass a bill that would allow federal-style racketeering prosecutions of violent gang activity.
Bulger, 81, was captured 17 years after he fled Boston as federal agents were closing in on him. In 1994, agents were on the verge of arresting Bulger in connection with 19 killings, racketeering, and other crimes.
A U.S. District Court judge has sentenced a New York Original Gangster Killers (OGK) member to more that seven years for distributing cocaine and committing violent acts.
The defendants allegedly used violence to intimidate and prevent victims and witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. The indictment alleges various instances where defendants used phrases such as "chop him up" and "put a bullet in your head" when threatening victims.
Prosecutors were able to prove the violent nature of the club when witnesses testified to a range of criminal activity including armed robbery, attempted murder, conspiracies to kill witnesses, use of firearms during acts of violence, and the distribution of large amounts of marijuana, cocaine, and steroids.
The genius of the RICO statutes is that they work perfectly against organized criminal gangs. A person can be charged even if that person did not directly commit the crime but only agreed to the commission or conspired with the perpetrators in any way.