Law Commons^™

Reflections On Reves V. Ernst & Young: Its Meaning And Impact On Substantive, Accessory, Aiding Abetting And Conspiracy Liability Under Rico, G. Robert Blakey, Kevin P. Roddy

Journal Articles

In March 1993, accountants, attorneys and other professionals—who generally view RICO with suspicion—breathed a sigh of relief when they read the Washington Post: "People who lose money in thrifts and other businesses that go belly up because of wrongdoing can no longer use [RICO] to sue lawyers, accountants, or other advisers who played key roles in the enterprise." Unfortunately, this terse description of the Supreme Court's decision issued the previous day in Reves v. Ernst & Young may persuade professionals that they dropped an anchor in a tranquil safe-harbor, far from an exposure to the perils of the private enforcement …

Shaping Today's Forfeiture Law: A Conversation With Senator Mcclellan, G. Robert Blakey

Journal Articles

In any society, the government's ability to interfere with life, liberty or property is always open for full discussion. In this conversation, Professor Blakey discusses property in the context of organized and white-collar crime, in addition to criminal forfeiture, and frames his discussion around his work with Senator John McClellan on drafting the Organized Crime Control Act.

Symposium: Law And The Continuing Enterprise: Perspectives On Rico: Foreword, G. Robert Blakey

Journal Articles

The past twenty years witnessed a sea change in the way that organized crime is investigated, prosecuted, and sanctioned, both criminally and civilly. RICO allowed the law to catch up with the rest of society. In the twentieth century, organizations, not people, control the important elements of society such as: government, commerce and labor. Until the passage of RICO, organizations as such were seldom the fcus of the law-outside of, perhaps, the antitrust statutes. This is no longer true.

RICO, however, is not limited to the activities of traditional Mafia families. It does not matter to a racketeering victim what …

Foreword: Debunking Rico's Myriad Myths, G. Robert Blakey

Journal Articles

Foreword: In January of 1931, Warner Brothers-First National released a film entitled Little Caesar. Based on a book by W. R. Burnett, the movie, loosely portraying the life of Alphonse Capone, starred Edward G. Robinson in its title role, Caesar Enrico Bandello, also known as "Little Caesar," or “Rico.” Robinson, as he lies dying, utters one of the most famous end lines in film history: “Mother of Mercy–is this the end of Rico?” Likewise, no one who looks at this Symposium–or others7-or the seemingly inevitable march of RICO reform (chloroform?) legislation through Congress–or the endless efforts of the federal …

What's Next?: The Future Of Rico, G. Robert Blakey, John C. Coffee, Paul E. Coffey, L. Gordon Crovitz

Journal Articles

Editor's Note: After the presentation of the articles, the symposium concluded with a structured debate and an open discussion. The participants in the debate were Professor Blakey and Mr. Crovitz. The ensuing discussion was moderated by Professor Coffee and featured Professor Blakey, Mr. Coffey, and Mr. Crovitz, as well as questions from the audience. The edited transcript is presented here.

Equitable Relief Under Civil Rico: Reflection On Religious Technology Center V. Wallersheim: Will Civil Rico Be Effective Only Against White-Collar Crime?, G. Robert Blakey, Scott D. Cessar

Journal Articles

The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held in Religious Technology Center v. Wollersheim that Congress did not intend to give private civil RICO plaintiffs any right to injunctive relief. This Article argues that the Wollershiem’s reasoning is flawed for being inconsistent with the text, the legislative history, and the purpose of RICO. In addition, it argues that it is inconsistent with statutory interpretation principles advanced by the Supreme Court. In particular, it discusses the case’s facts, provides an overview of civil RICO, examines and critiques Wollersheim’s reasoning, and addresses the adverse policy, economic, and political consequences of Wollersheim …

Rico Civil Fraud Action In Context: Reflections On Bennett V. Berg, G. Robert Blakey

Journal Articles

In Bennett v. Berg, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, as a matter of "first impression in the Circuit Courts of Appeals," faced and resolved a number of significant issues in the construction of Title IX, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (hereinafter "RICO") provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970. In Bennett, the plaintiffs, residents in a "life care" retirement village, sought treble damages and equitable relief under 18 U.S.C. § 1964 from a number of defendants, including named individuals, a not-for-profit corporation, the John Knox Village, attorneys, accountants, the firm of Snyder, …

Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (Rico): Basic Concepts - Criminal And Civil Remedies, G. Robert Blakey, Brian Gettings

Journal Articles

This article will present a brief overview of the legislative history of RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, and its structure, including its standards and basic concepts. The article will then consider the criminal sanctions authorized under RICO and discuss specific aspects of the RICO civil suit as well as some of the problems that may be expected to arise in it. The objective of the article is to provide the reader with a short introduction to RICO, one of the most sophisticated statutes ever enacted by Congress.

"On The Waterfront": Rico And Labor Racketeering, G. Robert Blakey, Ronald Goldstock

Journal Articles

Labor racketeering in America is a pervasive, persistent problem not easily controlled by conventional criminal statutes. The authors examine the applicability of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute (RICO) to the problem of labor racketeering and look at the recent case of United States v. Scotto as an example of the Act's application in this area. The authors conclude that to the extent that it is used appropriately and with discretion, RICO provides the flexibility to be an important law enforcement tool against labor racketeers.