About a year ago, I visited with a local attorney in spearheading an effort to get the JW pedophile issue into the courts. One of my questions to the attorney was whether RICO laws could be applied, similarly as they have been applied to other groups who conduct activity across State lines in the USA.
Brief History: RICO laws were initially established to help the Federal Government fight organized crime across State lines, and to expand the scope of their powers so that they could penetrate links between a local crime operations, and the crime boss organizations ... often such links are well hidden, and undocumented, governed by oral directives. Here is the link to the RICO laws:
This is a verbatim reproduction of Title 18 (The Rico Laws) from the Government Printing Office (GPO) on line:
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 96--RACKETEER INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS (RICO)
http://graham.main.nc.us/~bhammel/INS/RICO.html
RICO Expansion: Since the enactment was first established, RICO laws have been expanded in their use to deal with other kinds of organized criminal behavior, such as corrupt Lawfirms, corrupt County Governments, corrupt Insurance campanies, etc.
The attorney I consulted with agreed that if the JW religion does have a policy enforcement that effectively protects pedophiles, the RICO law could be used, but it would be better to have a "test case" with respect to religious organizations, otherwise he preferred to employ other useful laws.
Now, the "TEST CASE" is here: Posted on Fri, Mar. 22, 2002
Church faces racketeering suit
RICO statute to be used in civil case against former Palm Beach bishop
BY AMY DRISCOLL
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/2910364.htm
Shortly, I am visiting the same attorney again to discuss this "test case" of applying RICO laws to religious organizations, as well as discussing some recent victims locally who may stepping forth to seek legal remedy against perpetrator(s) and their religious organization.
This information was just made available to me this morning, so I need to get back to the source with a big thanks! Hope that this will be useful to others who might be able to seek legal help in their jurisdictions for molestation victims, especially among religious organizations, such as the JWs and others.
I will keep you updated on this as things progress.
PS: The Miami Herald article discusses the 'civil' suit being brought forth under RICO laws. So the 'test case' has not been won "yet" ... but the fact that it was allowed to be entered under that provision in the Court is a first major milestone. Also, it is a 'civil' suit, where the burden of proof is the 'Preponderance of the Evidence' and not 'Beyond reasonable Doubt' as would be the standard applied in criminal cases. This is an important case to watch.
Following Bible principles, we will avoid trying to live - or demand others to live - by an extensive and rigid set of dos and don'ts that go beyond the teachings of the Bible. The Watchtower, 4-15-02, pg 22, pp 15