>>> IM GOOD.
I HANDLED ALL THE INVESTMENTS.
>> GOT IT.
>> RICO.
WE CAN CHARGE THEM ALL WITH
CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY.
WITH RICO CASE, YOU CAN CHARGE
ONE WITH A FELONY.
>> CHARGED THEM ALL.
THAT WAS THE LEGAL BREAK-THROUGH
WHEN RACHEL DOB BS AND THE DA
HAD THE EVIDENCE IN THE "DARK
KNIGHT."
IT IS A FICTIONAL REFERENCE BUT
TO A REAL LAW, RICO.
CONGRESS PASSED IT OVER 50 YEARS
AGO TO GIVE PROSECUTORS A BETTER
TOOL TO PROSECUTE THE MOB.
AND ITS BEEN USED AGAINST BIG
CRIME FAMILIES.
IN ALL 17 OF THE MAIN 24 MAFIA
FAMILIES ACROSS THE U.S. HAVE AT
ONE TIME OR OTHER FACED RICO
PROSECUTIONS.
RICO WAS THE STRONG NEW WEAPON
THAT HELPED CONVICT JOHN GOTTI
BACK WHEN MOBSTERS WERE OPENLY
TERRORIZING NEIGHBORHOODS IN NEW
YORK AND THE FAMED FDNY WAS
TAKING THEM ON UNDER U.S.
ATTORNEY RUDY GIULIANI.
>> AN INDICTMENT TO BE MADE
PUBLIC LATER TODAY CHARGES THE
FIVE GODFATHERS WITH A
RACKETEERING CONSPIRACY AND
RUNNING A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE.
AUTHORITIES CALL THIS THE MOST
IMPORTANT PROS KOUGS CASE EVER
BROUGHT AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME.
>> IN JUST 13 HOURS, A FEDERAL
JURY FOUND GOTTI GUILTY.
>> JOHN GOTTI CONVICTED HERE OF
FIVE MURDERS THAT CARRY 20 YEARS
APIECE.
>> RICO COUNT IS A BIG DEAL.
THE OTHER ACTS LIKE MURDER ARE
ALREADY OF COURSE CRIMES ON THE
BOOKS.
BUT RICO MEANT TAKING MORE
PEOPLE DOWN FOR WORKING TOGETHER
ON THOSE CRIMES.
FROM TOP BOSSES TO LOWER-LEVEL
PEOPLE WHO JUST TAKE THEIR
COMMANDS.
RICO CASES ARE CHALLENGING.
THEYRE COMPLEX.
BUT THEY DO CARRY THAT BIG
PAYOFF FOR PROSECUTORS TO CRACK.
ALTHOUGH A SYNDICATE.
THATS HOW THE REPUTATION WAS
LURED TO ENTIRE SONGS ABOUT HOW
RICO PUTS HEAT ON GANGSTERS.
HE SAYS HE CANT TALK TO THE
COPS.
THATS ILLEGAL.
NO DOUBLE CROSSING MY PEOPLES.
AND HE GOES ON TO LAMENT, YOU
MIGHT JUST GET HIT WITH THE
RICO.
NOW FACT CHECK, TALKING TO COPS
IS ACTUALLY NOT ILLEGAL.
IT IS UNCOURAGED UNDER THE LAW.
BUT MEEK IS REFERENCING HOW IT
FEELS ILLEGAL IN THE STREETS.
HE KNOWS WHAT SO MANY GROUPS
HAVE LEARNED FROM THE MAFIA TO
HELDS ANGELS.
YOU DONT WANT TO BE HIT WITH
THE RICO.
IF YOU ARE, IT WOULD LIKELY BE
THE DOWN FALL OF YOUR ENTIRE
ORGANIZATION.
NOW, THIS SPECIAL REPORT WITH
THAT CONTEXT IS TO HELP US
UNDERSTAND WHY WERE TALKING
ABOUT THIS ON THE NEWS AND WHAT
A RICO CHARGE MIGHT LOOK LIKE
FOR THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION
BECAUSE THEY COULD GET HIT WITH
THE RICO.
I SAY THAT BASED ON THE
EVIDENCE, THE PRECEDENT AND SOME
NEW CLUES THAT WE HAVE BECAUSE
THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, WE KNOW,
IS UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
BY THAT SAME OFFICE
FICTIONALIZED IN BATMAN, BY THE
NEW YORK DA.
AND IT HAS TAPPED A MOB
PROSECUTOR, RICO, TO WORK THE
CASE.
NOW, RICO IS A FEDERAL LAW, BUT
NEW YORK IS CALLED LITTLE RICO.
IT COULD BE TRIGGERED BY THE
LITTLE REQUIREMENT OF THREE
CRIMES WOULD CARRY A BIG PRISON
SENTENCE UP TO 25 YEARS.
NOW, YOU HAVE TO PROVE A PATTERN
OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, NOT JUST A
SINGLE CRIME.
WE HAVE REPORTS OF PROBING
EVIDENCE OF BANK FRAUD, OF
FINANCIAL DECEIT, TAX FRAUD.
AND DA CY VANCE IS THE ONLY
PERSON TO GET TRUMPS TAX
RETURNS SO HE COULD COMPARE THEM
TO TEST LIES FOR TRUMP
PROPERTIES.
THE OTHER LIMIT IS TIME.
AT LEAST TWO OTHER CRIMES FOR
THIS TYPE OF PROSECUTION MUST BE
WITHIN FIVE YEARS.
NOW, IF THE THEORY OF THE CASE
INCLUDES ANY CRIMES DONE AROUND
THE 2016 CAMPAIGN, THAT DEADLINE
HITS SOON.
AND I MENTIONED THE CAMPAIGN NOT
AS SPECULATION.
WE KNOW THE ONE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION OFFICIAL WHO
ALREADY WENT TO PRISON, MICHAEL
COHEN, WAS CONVICTED OF AN
ELECTION CRIME FOR DONALD
TRUMPS BENEFITS.
SO PROSECUTORS HAVE EVERY REASON
TO SCOUR ANY SIMILAR VIOLATIONS
OF NEW YORK LAW IN THEIR WORK.
>> AND IVE SPOKEN TO ALLEN
WEISSELBERG ABOUT HOW TO SET THE
WHOLE THING UP, SO IM ALL OVER
THAT.
AND I SPOKE TO ALLEN ABOUT IT.
>> WHEN THAT AUDIOTAPE FIRST
LEAKED, YOU MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT,
WHOS ALLEN?
WELL, HES ALLEN WEISSELBERG,
WHO WE ALL KNOW NOW BECAUSE HES
AT THE CENTER OF THIS PROBE.
THE TOP MONEY MAN ON THAT CALL
THAT COHEN WAS REFERENCING, THE
CFO, COULD BE INDICTED BY THIS
SUMMER.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO WHAT
HARVEY WEINSTEIN AND DONALD
TRUMP HAVE IN COMMON, AT LEAST
ACCORDING TO LEGAL EXPERTS
BECAUSE THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF
NEW YORK BROUGHT A RICO SUIT,
THIS MAFIA LAW IM TELLING YOU
ABOUT AGAINST WEINSTEIN.
IT WAS A TOUGH TACTIC.
THEY ULTIMATELY WON THE CASE.
ALTHOUGH THAT PART OF IT WAS
DISMISSED BY A JUDGE.
WE HAVE SEEN THIS IN OTHER FORUMS.
AN OLYMPIC GYMNAST SUING USA
SIMILAR GASIC
GYMNASTICS UNDER THE RICO ACT.
TRUMP HIMSELF KNOWS HOW
DANGEROUS RICO CAN BE BECAUSE
THERE IS AN OPEN PROBE IN
GEORGIA WHERE THEYRE
INVESTIGATING DONALD TRUMP
TRYING TO SHAKE DOWN THE
SECRETARY OF STATE TO, QUOTE,
FIND VOTES.
NOW THEYRE WORKING THERE WITH
THIS PROSECUTOR ON, BASICALLY, A
RICO THEORY.
>> RACKETEERING, DID YOU SAY?
IS THIS STATE PROSECUTOR IN
GEORGIA REALLY THINKING ABOUT
PROSECUTING HIM LIKE A MOB BOSS?
WELL, NOW THAT PROSECUTOR HAS
FIRE
HIRED A RACKETEERING GEORGIA.
>> THEY HAVE HIRED AN OUTSIDE
PROSECUTOR, AN EXPERT IN
RACKETEERING WHO LITERALLY WROTE
THE BOOK ON PROSECUTING STATE
RACKETEERING.
>> A SIGN THAT RACKETEERING MAY
BE A BIG PART OF THE CASE
AGAINST TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES.
>> THESE ARE JUST LEGAL FACTS.
IT MAY SOUND BAD OR MEAN TO TALK
ABOUT WHAT TRUMP DOES IF SUBJECT
TO A MAFIA RACKETEERING CHARGE,
BUT IT IS JUST HOW HES BEING
INVESTIGATED.
MEANWHILE, THE DOJ IS
CONSIDERING USING RICO AGAINST
TRUMP SUPPORTERS IN THE JANUARY
6th INSURRECTION.
YOU CAN SEE ITS A LOT.
BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY LEGAL
PROBLEM FACING THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION.
EVEN IF DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF IS
NOT EVER INDICTED, THERE IS
ANOTHER WAY THAT PROSECUTORS CAN
ACTUALLY INDICT THE ENTIRE TRUMP
ORG, WHICH COULD BANKRUPT IT AS
A CORPORATION, SENDING IT OUT OF
BUSINESS AND BANKRUPTING DONALD
TRUMP AGAIN BUT IN A MORE FINAL
WAY.
LET ME REPEAT THAT BECAUSE THERE
IS A LOT GOING ON IN ALL THESE
CASES AND THE CFO.
THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW THIS
STUFF WORKS SAY IT IS POSSIBLE
AND, THUS, BAD FOR TRUMP THAT
THIS COULD ALL END WITH HIS
WHOLE COMPANY INDICTED AT THE
CORPORATE LEVEL.
NOW, FOR A PROSECUTOR TO DO
THAT, ITS A HIGH BAR.
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO FIND
EVIDENCE OF A SINGLE CRIME AT
THE COMPANY.
TO INDICT THE WHOLE THING, IT IS
A HIGHER BAR.
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT IT REQUIRES.
YOU HAVE TO FACTOR IN WHETHER
THE COMPANY IS PERVASIVE IN ITS
WRONGDOING, HOW LONG HAVE THE
CRIMES BEEN GOING ON IF THEYRE
FOUND.
TWO, PROSECUTORS LOOK TO THE
PAST MISCONDUCT.
IS THIS A ONE OFF OR HAS THIS
COMPANY BEEN FACED WITH THESE
KIND OF ALLEGATIONS BEFORE?
THREE THERE IS A QUESTION OF
HARMING NEPT INGING INNOCENT PEO
IF A GIGANTIC COMPANY IS
INDICTED AND GOES OUT OF
BUSINESS, HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE
LOSE THEIR JOBS?
>> NOW, THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION
IS NOTORIOUSLY SMALL WHEN IT
COMES TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
FOUR, THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED
VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE.
WHETHER A COMPANY HAS BEEN
UPFRONT AND TRYING TO FIX ITS
OWNS PROBLEMS OR WHETHER ITS
BEEN HIDING THEM.
IF THERE IS CRIME AT THE TRUMP
ORG, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN TURNING
THEMSELVES IN.
AND, FIVE, A WORD THAT HUNG OVER
THE MUELLER REPORT, OBSTRUCTION.
HES BEEN INVESTIGATED FOR IT
NUMEROUS TIMES AND THAT IS A
VALID FEATURE OF WHAT
PROSECUTORS LOOK AT WHEN
DECIDING TO INDICT THE WHOLE
COMPANY.
NOW, IM TELLING YOU ALL THIS.
YOU MIGHT SAY WHERE ARE THESE
RULES FROM?
THE DA HOLDS ALL THE CARDS IN
THIS PROBE.
AND AT THE DAS OFFICE, THEY
HAVE PEOPLE THAT ADVISE THE DA
ON THE RULES TO MAINTAIN
CONSISTENCY.
AND THE CURRENT DAS NUMBER TWO
ACTUALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON THIS.
HE WAS CHIEF ASSISTANT DA. WHAT I JUST READ TO YOU ARE THE
WHAT I JUST READ TO YOU ARE THE
EXACT RULES FROM HIS 1 11 YEAR O
MEMO THAT PROVIDES THE STANDARD