Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering 18 U.S.C. § 1959 A Manual for Federal Prosecutors December 2006 Prepared by the Staff of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 514-3594 Frank J. Marine, Consultant Douglas E. Crow, Principal Deputy Chief Amy Chang Lee, Assistant Chief Robert C. Dalton Merv Hamburg Gregory C.J. Lisa Melissa Marquez-Oliver David J. Stander Catherine M. Weinstock Cover Design by Linda M. Baer PREFACE This manual is intended to assist federal prosecutors in the preparation and litigation of cases involving the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1959. Prosecutors are encouraged to contact the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section (OCRS) early in the preparation of their case for advice and assistance. All pleadings alleging a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959 including any indictment, information, or criminal complaint, and a prosecution memorandum must be submitted to OCRS for review and approval before being filed with the court. The submission should be approved by the prosecutor’s office before being submitted to OCRS. Due to the volume of submissions received by OCRS, prosecutors should submit the proposal three weeks prior to the date final approval is needed. Prosecutors should contact OCRS regarding the status of the proposed submission before finally scheduling arrests or other time-sensitive actions relating to the submission. Moreover, prosecutors should refrain from finalizing any guilty plea agreement containing a Section 1959 charge until final approval has been obtained from OCRS. The policies and procedures set forth in this manual and elsewhere relating to 18 U.S.C. § 1959 are internal Department of Justice policies and guidance only. They are not intended to, do not, and may not be relied upon to, create any right, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any party in any matter civil or criminal. Nor are any limitations hereby placed on otherwise lawful litigative prerogatives of the Department of Justice. i TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE.................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS. ..................................................... i i TABLE OF AUTHORITIES. .................................................. i v I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW. .....................................1 A. Introduction......................................................1 B. Prior Approval by the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section Is Required.........................................................2 1. Approval Authority..........................................2 2. Guidelines for Section 1959 Prosecutions. 3 3. Prosecution Memorandum ....................................4 4. Post-Indictment Duties. ......................................5 C. Legislative History Of Section 1959 and Its Relationship To RICO.. 5 D. Liberal Construction Rule. .........................................7 II. ELEMENTS OF SECTION 1959 OFFENSES.. 7 A. Overview of Elements and Mens Rea..................................7 B. The Existence of An Enterprise.....................................1 0 C. The Enterprise Engaged in, or its Activities Affected, Interstate or Foreign Commerce................................................1 3 D. The Enterprise Engaged in Racketeering Activity. 1 5 E. Generic Offenses - Determining Whether A Particular Statutory Offense Qualifies as A Section 1959 Predicate Offense. 1 8 F. Murder.........................................................2 6 1. The Federal Murder Statute -- 18 U.S.C. § 1111. 2 7 (a) Elements............................................2 8 (b) “Unlawful” killing....................................3 0 (c) Malice Aforethought..................................3 0 (d) Premeditation........................................3 1 ii (e) Felony Murder.......................................3 3 (f) Jurisdiction..........................................3 6 2. Generic Murder............................................3 8 3. Section 1959 Cases Charging Murder. 4 3 G. Kidnapping......................................................4 4 1. Federal Kidnapping Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1201. 4 4 (a) Elements............................................4 8 (b) Kidnapping by force (seizure, confinement, kidnapping, abduction, or carrying away) or seduction (decoying and inveigling)...........................................4 9 (c) Transportation in interstate commerce. 5 0 (d) For “Ransom or Reward or Otherwise” Requirement. 5 1 2. Generic Kidnapping.........................................5 3 3. Section 1959 Cases Charging Kidnapping.. 5 5 H. Maiming........................................................5 6 1. Generic Maiming...........................................5 6 2. Section 1959 Prosecutions Charging Maiming. 6 5 I. Assault With A Dangerous Weapon..................................6 5 1. Federal Definition Under 18 U.S.C. § 113. 6 5 2. Generic Assault With A Dangerous Weapon. 6 7 3. Section 1959 Cases Charging Assault With A Dangerous Weapon. 7 2 J. Assaults Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. 7 4 1. Federal Definitions Under 18 U.S.C. §§ 113 and 1365. 7 4 2. Generic Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.. 7 8 3. Section 1959 Cases Charging Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury ....................................................8 0 K. Threats To Commit A Crime of Violence. 8 1 1. Federal Definition of a Crime of Violence under 18 U.S.C. § 16 .............................................8 1 iii a. Section 16(a) – the Use, Attempted Use, or Threatened Use of Physical Force Against the Person or Property of Another . ...........................................8 6 b. Section 16(b) --Felony Offenses Involving a Substantial Risk that Physical Force Against the Person or Property of Another May Be Used...............................8 8 2. Section 1959 Cases Charging a Threat to Commit a Crime of Violence...................................................9 1 L. Attempts and Conspiracies.........................................9 3 M. The Underlying Crimes of Violence Must Be Committed For One of Two Purposes...................................................102 1. Receipt of, or as Consideration for A Promise or Agreement to Pay, Anything of Pecuniary Value From An Enterprise. 102 2. Gaining Entrance to or Maintaining or Increasing Position in an Enterprise................................................104 III. ALTERNATIVE THEORIES OF LIABILITY. 111 A. Aiding and Abetting..............................................111 B. Pinkerton Liability...............................................114 C. Accessory After the Fact..........................................115 IV. MISCELLANEOUS LEGAL ISSUES AND PROCEDURAL MATTERS.. 116 A. Venue..........................................................116 B. Extraterritorial Application of Section 1959.. 119 C. Drafting the Indictment and Related Issues. 123 D. Double Jeopardy and Collateral Estoppel.. 126 1. Double Jeopardy. .........................................126 2. Collateral Estoppel.........................................128 E. Joinder and Severance............................................133 F. Statute of Limitations. ...........................................134 G. Sentencing and Punishment in Non-Capital Cases.. 135 1. Murder and Kidnapping....................................135 2. Maiming.................................................136 3. Assault Offenses...........................................136 iv 4. Threats to Commit A Crime of Violence. 137 5. Attempts or Conspiracies to Commit Murder or Kidnapping. 137 6. Attempts or Conspiracies to Commit Maiming or Assault Offenses..................................................138 H. Jury Instructions................................................138 I. Admission of Uncharged Crimes...................................139 J. Constitutional Challenges.........................................140 1. Vagueness Challenges......................................140 2. Ex Post Facto Challenges. ..................................142 3. Tenth Amendment Challenges...............................142 APPENDIX A - Excerpts of Senate Report No. 98-225, 98th Cong. 1st Sess. pp. 1-2, 304- 314, 322-323. APPENDIX B - United States Attorneys’ Manual Sections 9-110.010 to 9-110.8161 APPENDIX C - State Assault Statutes APPENDIX D - Model Section 1959 Indictments v TABLE OF AUTHORITIES SUPREME COURT CASES PAGE Abbate v. United States, 359 U.S. 187 (1959)............................................................... 128 Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000). ............................................................. 136 Ashe v. Swenson, 397 U.S. 436 (1970). ................................................................ 128, 129 Bartkus v. Illinois, 359 U.S. 121 (1959). ....................................................................... 128 Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299 (1932). ..................................................... 127 Heath v. Alabama, 474 U.S. 82 (1985).......................................................................... 128 Chatwin v. United States, 326 U.S. 455 (1946)............................................................... 4 9 Dowling v. United States, 493 U.S. 342 (1990). ........................................................... 129 EEOC v. Arabian American Oil Co., 499 U.S. 244 (1991)........................................... 119 Foley Brothers, Inc. v. Filardo, 336 U.S. 281 (1949)....................................................