Civil and Criminal RICO

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, 18 U.S.C. §§1961-1968, is a complex and confusing statute originally targeted at organized crime but used for many other purposes today. It provides severe criminal penalties and also authorizes private plaintiffs to sue “racketeers” for treble damages.

Mr. Smith is the co-author (with Terry Reed) of a frequently cited treatise on the RICO statute, Civil RICO, published by Matthew Bender. The book covers criminal prosecutions as well as private, civil litigation under the RICO law. It is updated twice each year.

Mr. Smith has represented plaintiffs and defendants in civil RICO suits. He has prosecuted and defended a number of criminal RICO cases, and handled many appeals in RICO cases. Mr. English has also defended a number of criminal RICO cases.