{"id":377143,"date":"2018-06-25T10:21:33","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T15:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/washington-law\/washington-racketeering-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-06-26T18:26:05","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T23:26:05","slug":"washington-racketeering-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/washington-law\/washington-racketeering-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Washington Racketeering Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Washington Racketeering Laws<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

The word "racketeering" often conjures up images of drug trafficking<\/a> and organized crime. This comes from the long-time association of crime rings with offenses such as gambling, prostitution, burglary, or other crimes traditionally referred to as "rackets" – hence the term "racketeering<\/a>." Although there’s validity to the association, racketeering is a broad-based crime that includes offenses of all kinds.<\/p>\r\n

Federal prosecutors can use RICO laws<\/a> to join all of an offender’s criminal enterprises and combine them into a single transaction for prosecution. Although racketeering often involves federal crimes, it’s also prosecuted through state laws. As in other states, Washington law mirrors the federal RICO laws. Washington’s "criminal profiteering" is equivalent to racketeering and includes the commission (or attempted commission), for financial gain, of any one of several crimes listed in the statute.<\/p>\r\n

Explanation of Washington Racketeering Laws<\/h2>\r\n

One of the best ways to understand the full extent of the law in a statute is to work with an attorney. However, you can get a solid introduction to the law with an helpful explanation written in plain language. See the chart below for important information about Washington’s racketeering laws.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Statutes<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

Washington Revised Code:<\/p>\r\n

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Elements of the Crime<\/b><\/p>\r\n

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Pattern of profiteering activity:<\/i><\/p>\r\n

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  • Engaging in at least 3 acts of "criminal profiteering" within 5 years shows a "pattern of profiteering."\r\n
  • The acts of profiteering have the same or similar intent, results, victims, accomplices, principals, victims or methods of commission, or are otherwise interrelated by distinguishing characteristics and must not be isolated events.\r\n
  • At least one of the incidents occurred after July 1,1985, and the last of which occurred within 5 years, excluding any period of imprisonment, after the commission of the earliest act of criminal profiteering.\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Examples of acts of criminal profiteering<\/i> include (but aren’t limited to) the following:<\/p>\r\n

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    • Murder\r\n
    • Robbery\r\n
    • Kidnapping\r\n
    • Forgery\r\n
    • Theft\r\n
    • Bribery\r\n
    • Extortion\r\n
    • Gambling\r\n
    • Securities fraud\r\n
    • Trafficking in stolen property\r\n
    • Obstructing investigations\r\n
    • Sexual exploitation of children\r\n
    • Arson\r\n
    • Assault\r\n
    • Identity theft\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>

Possible Penalties and Sentencing<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

The actual penalties will depend on the specific facts of the case and are determined by the Sentencing Reform Act<\/a> and state guidelines.<\/p>\r\n

Possible penalties may include the following:<\/p>\r\n

Related Offenses<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

Washington Revised Code:<\/p>\r\n