Opinion ID: 390861
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the pigeon coop: enterprise under rico

Text: 8 Judge Smith was convicted under Count Two of violating RICO by participating in and conducting the affairs of an enterprise engaged in, or the activities of which affect, interstate or foreign commerce, through a pattern of racketeering activity. 18 U.S.C. § 1962; see pages 1070-1071 & note 2, supra. In addition, all four appellants were convicted under Count One of conspiring to violate RICO. 7 18 U.S.C. § 1962; see pages 1070-1071 & note 2, supra. In both counts, the enterprise was defined as the Third Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida. All four appellants argue that for a number of reasons the Third Judicial Circuit cannot constitute an enterprise as defined under RICO, and that the indictment is therefore insufficient as a matter of law. 9 Appellants first argue that Florida's Third Judicial Circuit is too broad an entity to properly constitute a RICO enterprise. Appellants suggest that the Third Judicial Circuit is simply a geographical designation encompassing a number of Florida state courts and law enforcement agencies. Because the government chose such a broad enterprise in the case at bar, appellants conclude that they were not adequately apprised of the charges against them. This argument mischaracterizes the indictment in the case at bar. An indictment is sufficient if (1) it contains the elements of the offense charged and fairly informs the defendant of the charge against which he must defend, and (2) it enables the accused to plead an acquittal or conviction in bar of future prosecutions for the same offense. United States v. Bailey, 444 U.S. 394, 100 S.Ct. 624, 636, 62 L.Ed.2d 575 (1980); Hamling v. United States, 418 U.S. 87, 94 S.Ct. 2887, 2907, 41 L.Ed.2d 590 (1974); see United States v. L'Hoste, 609 F.2d 796, 800 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, -- U.S. --, 101 S.Ct. 104, 66 L.Ed.2d 39 (1980). The indictment in this case is clearly adequate under the above standard. The agreements which were part of the alleged conspiracy, the overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, and the substantive racketeering offenses are all related in great detail. With painstaking particularity, the indictment makes it clear that the alleged conspiracy and substantive offenses centered around the Third Judicial Circuit as an arm of the Florida court system, and not as a mere geographical designation as argued by appellants. Moreover, the indictment alleges that the offenses were all part of a single scheme to use the Third Judicial Circuit for illicit profit-making activities and to cover up these illegal activities. The indictment leaves no room for doubt regarding the charges lodged against each defendant, and offers each defendant protection against double jeopardy. Appellants' argument that the indictment is too broad to be sufficient is therefore without merit. 8 10 Appellants next contend that by broadly defining the enterprise as Florida's Third Judicial Circuit, the government has improperly charged multiple conspiracies under the guise of a single conspiracy. Appellants argue that each agreement to bribe a judge or court official, or to use a public office for illegal profit-making activity, constituted a separate conspiracy. Since some coconspirators had no knowledge of all the illicit agreements, appellants suggest that the government cannot charge a single conspiracy in a single count. Appellants' argument misconstrues the nature of a RICO conspiracy. The gravamen of a RICO conspiracy charge is that each (defendant) agreed to participate, directly and indirectly, in the affairs of the enterprise by committing two or more predicate crimes. Elliott, supra, 571 F.2d at 902. Under RICO it is irrelevant whether each defendant participated in the enterprise's affairs through different, even unrelated crimes, so long as we may reasonably infer that each crime was intended to further the enterprise's affairs. Id. As noted above, in the case at bar, the indictment charged and the evidence indicated that the defendants participated in a single scheme of racketeering activity involving Florida's Third Judicial Circuit. Because the indictment properly defined the enterprise as Florida's Third Judicial Circuit, and properly alleged a single pattern of racketeering activity, we have no doubt that Count One properly charged a single conspiracy. 9 As in United States v. Bright, supra, 630 F.2d at 812-13, if this (were) not a RICO case, the appellants might well have a valid argument. However, under RICO diverse parties and crimes are tied together through the concept of the illegal enterprise. 10 See Elliott, supra, 571 F.2d at 902. In short, because each of the agreements and overt acts alleged in the indictment was designed to further a pattern of racketeering activity involving a properly defined RICO enterprise, a single conspiracy was properly charged. 11 Appellants also suggest that since the Third Judicial Circuit is a government entity, it cannot constitute a RICO enterprise. We disagree. 18 U.S.C.A. § 1961(4) (West Supp.1981) defines enterprise as including any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity, and any union or group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal entity. 11 It is well-settled that this definition is broad enough to include government departments and agencies such as Florida's Third Judicial Circuit. Cf. United States v. Bacheler, 611 F.2d 443 (3d Cir. 1979) (city Traffic Court); Bright, supra, 630 F.2d at 829 (sheriff's office); United States v. Brown, 555 F.2d 407 (5th Cir. 1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 904, 98 S.Ct. 1448, 55 L.Ed.2d 494 (1978) (city police department); United States v. Altomare, 625 F.2d 5 (4th Cir. 1980) (county prosecutor's office); United States v. Karas, 624 F.2d 500 (4th Cir. 1980), cert. denied, -- U.S. --, 101 S.Ct. 857, 66 L.Ed.2d 800 (1981) (county law enforcement office); United States v. Baker, 617 F.2d 1060 (4th Cir. 1980) (sheriff's department); United States v. Grzywacz, 603 F.2d 682 (7th Cir. 1979), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 935, 100 S.Ct. 2152, 64 L.Ed.2d 788 (1980) (Gewin, J., sitting by designation) (city police department); United States v. Frumento, 563 F.2d 1083 (3rd Cir. 1977), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 1072, 98 S.Ct. 1256, 55 L.Ed.2d 775 (1978) (State Bureau of Cigarette and Beverage Taxes); United States v. Dozier, 493 F.Supp. 554 (M.D.La.1980) (State Department of Agriculture); United States v. Sisk, 476 F.Supp. 1061 (M.D.Tenn.1979) (state governor's office); United States v. Barber, 476 F.Supp. 182 (S.D. W.Va.1979) (State Alcohol Beverage Control Commissioner's Office); United States v. Vignola, 464 F.Supp. 1091 (E.D.Pa.), aff'd, 605 F.2d 1199 (3d Cir. 1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 1072, 100 S.Ct. 1015, 62 L.Ed.2d 753 (1980) (city Traffic Court). But cf. United States v. Mandel, 415 F.Supp. 997 (D.Md.1976) (State of Maryland not an enterprise under RICO). 12 Moreover, there is no merit to appellants' suggestion that the prosecution must specify whether the enterprise is either a legal entity or a group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal entity. 18 U.S.C.A. § 1961(4) (West Supp.1981) requires only that the enterprise be either a legal entity or a group associated in fact; there is no logical or statutory reason to force the government to choose between alternative enterprise theories, see Brown, supra, 555 F.2d at 415 (Macon Police Department is at least a group associated in fact and may also be a legal entity); Baker, supra, (county sheriff's department is either a legal entity or a group of individuals associated in fact), as long as the indictment is otherwise sufficient. 13 Appellants also argue that the requisite nexus with interstate commerce was not shown in the case at bar, because the government presented no evidence directly linking the activities of the coconspirators with interstate commerce. However, RICO requires only that the activities of the enterprise be connected with interstate commerce. United States v. Rone, 598 F.2d 564, 573 (9th Cir. 1979), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 946, 100 S.Ct. 1345, 63 L.Ed.2d 780 (1980); accord, United States v. Nerone, 563 F.2d 836, 850-51 (7th Cir. 1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 951, 98 S.Ct. 1577, 55 L.Ed.2d 801 (1978); Vignola, supra, 464 F.Supp. at 1097. Since we find that Florida's Third Judicial Circuit properly constituted an enterprise under RICO, and since the record contains more than ample evidence of the Third Judicial Circuit's connection with interstate commerce, 12 appellants' claim is without merit. 14 The indictment in the case at bar properly alleged the RICO enterprise to be Florida's Third Judicial Circuit, properly charged a single conspiracy, and properly alleged the requisite connection to interstate commerce. Appellants' claim that the indictment is defective and must be dismissed is therefore without merit. 13 15