RICO Act a Weapon in the War on Providence Gangs
Partner Dan Small commented on the use of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act in the current case against Chad Brown gang members in Providence, RI. Mr. Small spoke with Providence Journal on what the RICO Act is and how it was created in the 1970s to crack down on Mafia organizations and was used successfully in the 1990s to dismantle the Latin Kings gang organization. Authorities are not charging gang members for their individual crimes, but instead are alleging that the Chad Brown gang members are the leaders of the organization and committed shootings, drug trafficking, and used other forms of retaliation to fuel their enterprise. Mr. Small discussed how the prosecutors will be able to introduce evidence such as rap videos, photos and social media posts as evidence to prove that the defendants run the organization.
“The RICO statute is a very powerful tool for prosecutors because it allows them to look beyond isolated crimes,” said Mr. Small.