Tag: fines

A bill that would have increased fines and penalties for gang members in the state of Maryland was killed in the House Judiciary Committee last week. In 1970, the Racketeer Influence and Corruption of Organizations Act was put in place to combat mafia groups. The law was later expanded to disrupt everything from corrupt police departments to motorcycle gangs. 33 states including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have implemented similar state laws. However, Maryland is not one of those states. Current laws only allow individual members to be investigated opposed to the larger upscale organizations. The bill would have allowed law enforcement to focus on the distributors rather than low to mid-level dealers and users. Under current laws, there are numerous violations that warrant fines and possible imprisonment if one is found to be involved with criminal gangs. For example, a person may not threaten another individual with physical violence to leave or join a criminal gang. An individual who...