Deseret News | Reader comments: Statute is potent anti-gang weapon

Reader comments
Statute is potent anti-gang weapon

What's RICO? | 1:14 a.m. March 31, 2008

Nice article. For the uninformed, what does RICO stand for? The whole article is about this statute, yet it is given as an eponym without a specific explanation. Strange.

Arne | 6:51 a.m. March 31, 2008

I kept waiting for more on what RICO is and what it does, but it never came. I'm starting to see a trend in the kind of writing that Deseret News is proffering.

Dave | 7:26 a.m. March 31, 2008

Another example of why we need a speedy death penalty, it saves lives.

Comments continue below

RICO? | 7:30 a.m. March 31, 2008

Thanks for explaining what RICO is and why gangs are intimidated by it*.

(*dripping with sarcasm)

samhill | 8:13 a.m. March 31, 2008

With Wikipedia and numerous other internet sources available to find out information, I suppose the author felt it was unnecessary to include that in the story. I say it is another example of lazy reporting.

For the record, RICO is short for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It was part of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.

Anonymous | 8:15 a.m. March 31, 2008

Under RICO, a person or group who commits any two of 35 crimesï¿½27 federal crimes and 8 state crimesï¿½within a 10-year period and, in the opinion of the United States Attorney bringing the case, has committed those crimes with similar purpose or results can be charged with racketeering. Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined up to $25,000 and/or sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count. In addition, the racketeer must forfeit all ill-gotten gains and interest in any business gained through a pattern of "racketeering activity."

Yeah | 10:30 a.m. March 31, 2008

Sort of like the government is going to end the drug problem. Gangs and drugs are both social problems. Our criminal justice system is simply not brutal enough to have an impact. The government is not going to arrest the problem away. I wish they could.

Anonymous | 11:31 a.m. March 31, 2008

I found the article interesting and informative. Using RICO against gangs is not only creative, but it also makes sense. Gangs are organized crime - always have been! If you don't know what RICO is, pull your head out of the sand and get informed. It is well enough known that it didn't need clarification in the article.

Joe Moe | 11:53 a.m. March 31, 2008

A big thanks to our law enforcement and prosecutors, who are making a difference.

As for the problem understanding "RICO," not clarifying was clearly an oversight by the writer, but it also surprised me how many people weren't familiar with it.

Jay Mar | 12:41 p.m. March 31, 2008

Okay, now we need to eradicate the MS13 gang that makes these others look like cub scout troops. Why hasn't the RICO statute been used to prosecute the murders committed by this gang in Utah and in dozens of states across the nation. Or, because most of these criminals are illegals, they are probably not prosecuted but just deported because we can't and won't punish them.

Rich | 1:34 p.m. March 31, 2008

We should have a zero tolerance policy on criminal gangs, not just on violent crimes. Driving by a train the other day, I noticed that at least half of the trains were decorated by gang graffiti. Surely most of it was applied out of state, so it's not a problem that Utah can tackle alone, but some governments and law enforcement officials tend to look the other way when they see misdemeanors violated. I say, stop all crime as early as possible. If we can't afford to put the criminals in prison, at least fine them heavily and make them do community service, such as cleaning up 100 railroad cars every time one is caught painting a car.

Y BOTHER.......... | 3:26 p.m. March 31, 2008

The justice system needs to slap BOTH of the gangsters hands and say 'naughty, naughty' not just ONE ! Before they are turned back on the streets to to kill or rob again !!!

Thomas | 5:35 p.m. March 31, 2008

Living in a free society definitely has its disadvantages. It's too bad we just can't have a shoot-to-kill order put out on all gang members. Put out the message to parents that if your gang banger kid is caught out on the street committing acts of violence he'll beshot, no questions asked. That'd put the fear of God in the little buggers!

Gang bangers are worse than adult criminals. Whereas an adult criminal may have had a conscience at one time and may have a speck of it left for a psychologist to work with, these kid criminals have no conscience and no remorse.
The tragic thing is that we're creating a whole class of criminals in these kids, who will never be able to function in society---ever. They'll spend their whole lives preying on society and costing taxpayers' money to incarcerate them when they're caught and convicted. We'll have two classes of society--the ones who grew up as criminals without any skills or ability to function as productive members of society and the other half of society that functions as normal citizens.

i AM A RESPECTABLE MAN | 8:42 p.m. March 31, 2008

I went over to my friends place to do some paint work before i know it two young punks that i had no idea of appeared. they proceeded to taunt me and show a total lack of disrespect for the repair work i was doing free of charge. Finally after enough was enough I threw the bucket of paint all over them and put a whupping on them like they had never seen. You know what I found out...these guys are wanta be men but are much closer to being babies when confronted with the real deal! If they are so bad ..go to Irag lay it on the line as I did my time in Nam and I refuse to be mistreated!

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