The Applicability of the RICO Act to SAMCRO (A Study in Extreme Nerd-dom)

Ya, that's right. I'm doing an analysis on the legal applicability of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original (SAMCRO) as shown in the fictional show (I am not completely convinced it is not a documentary) Sons of Anarchy. Wanna make something of it?

Sons of Anarchy, in my humble opinion, is a WAY underrated show. Led by the acting chop filled troika of Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Katey Sagal (Everything, EVER, and Married With Children), and the painfully under-appreciated Charlie Hunnam, who killed it in Green Street Hooligans (drama) and in the Judd Apatow created show Undeclared. Not to mention that it features a motorcycle club, the IRA, Shakespearean overtones in the first season calling MacBeth to mind, the IRA, a season in Ireland, copious amount of fight scenes, and the IRA (sorry to pull a Peter King... I think the spirit of my great-grandfather slipped in there somehow).

Annyyywhhooo, this season features an overzealous Assistant U.S. Attorney who is trying to take down the Sons, as well as some other gangs, a Mexican drug cartel and the Real IRA, by putting together a large and interconnected RICO case (I'm not even gonna get into the pressure put on Juice. Suffice it to say, almost none of the evidence he gives is admissible in court). Using RICO became popular in prosecuting the mob, and thus in pop culture, because racketeering is defined so broadly If you are in an enterprise that is engaged in a pattern of illegal activity, from robbery/murder to neighborhood "protection/loan sharking/neighborhood lotto, you are in violation of the RICO Act. "Pattern" is also broadly defined as two or more acts in violation of the act, at least one after the enactment of RICO and one within 10 years of prosecution. Clearly, SAMCRO would satisfy these two requirements. The Asst US Attorney also nails what they would need for RICO on the show which is, needless to say, pretty impressive for a television show. Further, the broader reasons for pursuing RICO charges on SAMCRO are also valid as both the Galindo drug cartel and the Real IRA would clearly be co-conspirators that could likewise be charged under RICO if evidence of the co-conspiracy was presented. This would be pretty easy in regards to the drug cartel but much more difficult with the Real IRA, which is why the Asst US Attorney is stepping up pressure on Juice for info pertaining to the IRA/SAMCRO meet up.

Basically, Sons of Anarchy did a good job this season of illustrating why the motorcycle club, not to mention their gang/cartel/RIRA cohorts, has something to worry about. I am now through with my over-long geek out. Please don't judge me...