Opinion ID: 473005
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: RICO and CCE

Text: 32 In United States v. Phillips, 664 F.2d at 1010-14, the Fifth Circuit held that RICO counts are not lesser included offenses of a CCE charge for double jeopardy purposes. The Phillips court stated: 33 We conclude that the RICO counts are not lesser included offenses of the Sec. 848 count. Both the substantive RICO and RICO conspiracy counts require proof of facts and elements not required to be proved under Sec. 848, even though there is a substantial overlap in the proof offered to establish the crimes. In a substantive or conspiracy RICO prosecution the Government must prove the existence of an enterprise that affects interstate commerce. The existence of an enterprise is an element that is separate from the element of the pattern of racketeering activity in which the enterprise engages; the enterprise is proved by evidence of a continuing organization and by evidence that the members function as a continuing unit. United States v. Turkette, supra [452 U.S. 576], 101 S.Ct. [2524] at 2528 [69 L.Ed.2d 246 (1981) ]. Mere proof of a pattern of racketeering activity, i.e., commission of at least two acts of racketeering activity, is not sufficient to establish a RICO violation; there must also be proof of the existence of the enterprise itself. Section 848, by contrast, does not require proof of a RICO type enterprise. Rather, Sec. 848 merely requires proof that the defendant undertook a continuing series of violations in concert or in conspiracy with five or more persons. 34 Phillips, 664 F.2d at 1013-14. Consequently, RICO offenses are separate and distinct from continuing criminal enterprise offenses; hence the consecutive punishments on the RICO and CCE counts did not violate the fifth amendment's double jeopardy clause.