Why Trump is being charged with RICO in Georgia
In an indictment akin to breaking up a criminal organization. Trump and his allies have been charged again. However, this poses the greatest threat to the former president. What are the allegations and why are they so dangerous? That will be settled on August 14 when former President Donald J. Trump was hit with his fourth indictment. This one from the state of Georgia was little different, although Trump and 18 others have been charged under the Rico Act. Each person charged in the indictment faces one count of violating Georgia’s criminally influenced and corrupt Organic Law. This is Georgia District Attorney Fannie Willis filing the charges against Trump and Co., but more on her later first: What are the charges against Rico? It allows prosecutors to link different crimes and individuals together by arguing that they worked together on the same criminal interest. Rika charges may encourage the smaller fish to work with prosecutors to help them catch the larger sharks. The law was created in the 1970s to prosecute mafia bosses and organized crime groups. It has been used successfully against the mafia unions and others and is known to have brought down John Gotti. How does the accusation of *** Rico apply to Trump in the *** late night vote? *** The Fulton County grand jury is indicting former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies for allegedly attempting to redeem his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. Trump’s 18 allies named include Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and Sidney Powell. Trump has been accused of pressuring his campaign to find more votes, harassing state poll workers, making false allegations of fraud and appointing a new list of pro-election officials instead of following Georgia’s legal process for contesting elections . Fanny Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney who brought the charges against Trump and his allies, has used Rico charges in the past and is reinventing what it means to use the Rico Act. Willis suggested Atlanta teachers charged Rico with cheating on students’ standardized test scores and made national headlines. She also uses the Rico charges against Atlanta hip-hop crew YSL, who allege their violent street gang. The group includes rappers Ghana and young thug. In this case, she’s used to defending her own social media and rap lyrics against them, sparking a free speech controversy. Trump, who also has a strong social media presence, will see his posts as evidence in the Rico case. What happens next? Willis says she wants to try the accused as a crime group and have a trial within six months. But given the broad nature of this case and the other trials, Trump is facing his attorney’s request that they be delayed until 2026. This can lengthen the charge against Rico and could result in a prison sentence of 5 to 20 years in Georgia or a total fine for Trump on four charges. He faces 91 charges. He pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges.
Trump’s RICO charges in Georgia explained
President Trump and 18 other allies have all been charged with RICO in Georgia. Clarified explains what the charges mean and what happens next.
Updated August 24, 2023 9:18 am EDT
Trump has been re-indicted for the fourth time. The latest indictments come from the state of Georgia and include some of the broadest and potentially most damaging allegations. On August 14, former President Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia. Trump and 18 of his allies have been charged with RICO. RICO stands for Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The law allows prosecutors to link different people and crimes together, arguing that all parties are working in the same criminal interest. Such charges also encourage defendants to work with law enforcement to apprehend key defendants. The RICO Act was introduced in the 1970s to crack down on the mob. It was used successfully against the Mafia and is known to have helped evict John Gotti from the Gambino crime family. Since its enactment into federal law, 33 states have adopted RICO laws at the state level. Trump and his allies have each been accused of violating Georgia’s RICO law by allegedly trying to redeem his defeat in the state’s 2020 election. The indictment’s introduction reads: “Defendant Donald Trump lost the United States presidential election on November 3, 2020. One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to acknowledge Trump’s defeat and knowingly and willfully engaged in a conspiracy to improperly change the outcome of the election in Trump’s favour. This conspiracy involved a joint plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of extortion in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the state of Georgia and in other states.” the RICO file, while New York City Mayor Mark Meadows, former White Man’s Chief of Staff Haus, and Sidney Powell, attorney who pushed electoral conspiracies. Crimes the 19 defendants are accused of include: creating a pressure campaign to win more votes, harassing state poll workers, creating false fraud allegations and appointing a new list of Trump-favorite voters. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who filed the case, has used RICO charges creatively before. She previously accused teachers in Atlanta of cheating on their students’ standardized test scores in order to receive higher compensation, which made national headlines. She also led the case against the YSL crew, who are accused of being a violent criminal gang. Crew members include rapper Young Thug and Gunna. In that case, Willis used the defendants’ social media and rap lyrics against them, sparking an uproar over free speech. Willis wants to try the defendants as a group within six months, but given the sprawling nature of the case, Trump’s busy court schedule and his attorney’s request for the trial to be delayed until 2026, this case could drag on. The RICO charge carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison or a fine. In Trump’s four indictments, he faces 91 indictments. He has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges.
Trump has been re-indicted for the fourth time. The latest indictments come from the state of Georgia and include some of the broadest and potentially most damaging allegations.
On August 14, former President Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia. Trump and 18 of his allies have been charged with RICO. RICO stands for Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The law allows prosecutors to link different people and crimes together, arguing that all parties are working in the same criminal interest. Such charges also encourage defendants to work with law enforcement to apprehend key defendants.
The RICO Act was introduced in the 1970s to crack down on the mob. It was used successfully against the Mafia and is known to have helped evict John Gotti from the Gambino crime family. Since its enactment into federal law, 33 states have adopted RICO laws at the state level. Trump and his allies have each been accused of violating Georgia’s RICO law by allegedly trying to redeem his defeat in the state’s 2020 election.
The introduction to the indictment reads:
“Defendant Donald Trump lost the US presidential election of November 3, 2020. One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to acknowledge Trump’s defeat and knowingly and willfully engaged in a conspiracy to improperly change the outcome of the election in Trump’s favour. This conspiracy involved a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of extortion in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the state of Georgia, and in other states.”
The defendants include Rudy Guiliani, who, as New York City mayor, championed the application of the RICO Act, Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, and Sidney Powell, an attorney who pushed election conspiracies. Crimes the 19 defendants are accused of include running a coercive campaign to win more votes, harassing state election officials, making false allegations of fraud and appointing a new list of Trump-favorite voters.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who filed the case, has used RICO charges creatively before. She previously accused teachers in Atlanta of cheating on their students’ standardized test scores in order to receive higher compensation, which made national headlines. She also led the case against the YSL crew, who are accused of being a violent criminal gang. Crew members include rapper Young Thug and Gunna. In that case, Willis used the defendants’ social media and rap lyrics against them, sparking an uproar over free speech.
Willis wants to try the defendants as a group within six months, but given the sprawling nature of the case, Trump’s busy court schedule and his attorney’s request that the trial be delayed until 2026, this case could drag on. The RICO charge carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison or a fine.
In Trump’s four indictments, he faces 91 indictments. He has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges.
