We have serious problems in the family court arena with an increasing set of services being ordered, by judges, for parents or children to "consume." There have been complaints in Lackawanna County, reported in the news (2011) of overbilling, forcing parents to pay in cash to see their children (either pay up or you can't see your kid sure sounds to me like a form of extortion!), and (thanks to a Federal Lawsuit exposing how the GALs were assigned) possibly bypassing legal methods for hiring individuals (i.e., Ross/Termini) and letting them operate out of the county courthouse building.
That's why I'm bringing up RICO. Because that's what it sounds like to me -- it sounds like a pre-planned "racket" of writing laws to accommodate special interests within certain nonprofit groups -- regardless of their impact on the public, including poverty and homelessness, eventually.
It involves MORE than one person, and it involves an appearance of legitimacy to cover up corrupt purposes and illegal acts. (Read the law for more exact definitions). At the bottom, I list a criminal defense attorney's listing of types of crime that might be involved (whether Federal, Felony, etc.)
And at the bottom portion of the post, I cite a specific example out of Chicago, which involved an attorney and two police officers, plus the attorneys law firm and the two police departments. They'd been engaged in previous criminal (i think, racketeering) activity which may sound familiar (i.e., kickbacks for steering cases), but -- having this already in place -- it escalted to planning, executing, and obstructing the investigation of a murder.
(the 3 people involved got caught and incarcerated, incidentally)
It's pretty serious stuff, in other words! I want people to understand these concepts -- because I believe it's closer to the truth in the family court issues than, and a lot more profitable to screen OUT (if it's NOT occurring) than calling the court professionals bad names, which pretty much is going to get "reform" nowhere, unless some lawsuits for slander perhaps. If we are going to be a lawful society, then point out which laws have been violated, matching the facts to the law.
Because family law itself is so UNinterested in "facts" as opposed to psychology (and so forth) -- it would seem that any prosecution or reform efforts, if there HAS been criminal activity -- would relate to things NOT under the province of family law. That is where there is a more solid standing. I also believe that if all RICO type activity can be gotten out of this system, it might have a fighting chance of being decent system.
(That's a long shot, but who knows?)
So, here we go! Notice the types of criminal acts mentioned as examples here:
From WiseGeek, basic concept: What is Racketeering?
Racketeering is the act of operating an illegal business or scheme in order to make a profit, perpetrated by a structured group. It is a broad category of criminal acts that includes bribery, sexual exploitation of children, and illegal gambling, among many others. Racketeering is closely associated with organized crime, since both are conducted by groups.Racketeering encompasses many criminal acts. It includes theft and fraud against businesses or individuals. Governments can be victimized by racketeering; examples include counterfeitingmoney and trading in untaxed alcohol. Racketeering can also take the form of providing illegal services, such as prostitution or drug trafficking. Racketeering also takes place among legitimate businesses or labor unions, where it is sometimes referred to as white-collar crime. Examples include extortion and money laundering.The criminal organizations who engage in racketeering often have legitimate businesses, for instance licensed gaming establishments or a labor-based business such as garbage collection, in order to provide cover for their rackets. In addition, racketeering is often aided by the bribing, blackmailing, or extortion of public officials or civil servants. Legitimate business owners can be similarly manipulated in order to help criminal groups and their racketeering practices to appear lawful.
