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SUNNY Temp: 57 °F Wind: NW at 4 mph Sunday, October 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 27, 2003 Racketeers today use old crime, new modes Periodically, I see in the newspaper that someone has been charged with the crime of racketeering. I am familiar with racketeers being people such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, but I have no idea what the charge amounts to today. Could you please explain? — Paul B., Rogue River The similarities are few between modern-day racketeers and gangsters of the 1920s. Advertisement Al Capone and Lucky Luciano went down in history for their organized crime rings that funneled money through whorehouses, gambling dens and speakeasys and conducted outright extortion schemes such as payoffs and tributes. Today’s racketeers conduct business in a much more discreet manner. Oregon prosecutors charge the crime of racketeering if a person uses an organization — legitimate or fictitious — to disguise or shield a pattern of crime, said Matt Chancellor, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Embezzling money from businesses is the most common type of racketeering locally, Chancellor said. The crime has likely become more prevalent in recent years with the advent of Internet banking, Chancellor said. Racketeering can be harder to detect nowadays because transferring money is so easy, he added. "It’s one click of a button ... rather than going down to the bank and cashing a check," Chancellor said. Although considered a "white-collar crime," racketeering is grouped with the most serious offenses under Oregon criminal law. Conviction could result in a maximum 20-year prison sentence or a $300,000 fine. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times