Washington Racketeering Laws

Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 26, 2018

The word "racketeering" often conjures up images of drug trafficking 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." Although there's validity to the association, racketeering is a broad-based crime that includes offenses of all kinds.

Federal prosecutors can use RICO laws 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.

Explanation of Washington Racketeering Laws

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.

Statutes

Washington Revised Code:

Section 9A:82.010 (definitions)
Section 9A:82.080 (use of proceeds of criminal profiteering)
Section 9A:82.120 (criminal profiteering lien)

Elements of the Crime

Pattern of profiteering activity:

Engaging in at least 3 acts of "criminal profiteering" within 5 years shows a "pattern of profiteering."
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.
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.

Examples of acts of criminal profiteering include (but aren't limited to) the following:

Murder
Robbery
Kidnapping
Forgery
Theft
Bribery
Extortion
Gambling
Securities fraud
Trafficking in stolen property
Obstructing investigations
Sexual exploitation of children
Arson
Assault
Identity theft

Possible Penalties and Sentencing

The actual penalties will depend on the specific facts of the case and are determined by the Sentencing Reform Act and state guidelines.

Possible penalties may include the following:

Incarceration
Fines
Forfeiture of assets
Property liens
Restitution to the victims
Civil damages

Related Offenses

Washington Revised Code:

Section 9A:82.060 (leading organized crime)
Section 9A:83.020 (money laundering)
Section 9.35.020 (identity theft)

Note: State laws are always subject to change through the passage of new legislation, rulings in the higher courts (including federal decisions), ballot initiatives, and other means. While we strive to provide the most current information available, please consult an attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.