The world of organised crime is reportedly “thrilled” that Trump associate Rudy Giuliani is now facing racketeering charges in Georgia. As a New York prosecutor in the 1980s, Mr Giuliani became nationally known for using so-called RICO statutes to go after members of the Mafia.
"You can quote me to say, ‘They’re f***ing thrilled,’” Murray Richman, a lawyer who has represented organised crime figures including former Lucchese crime family boss Carmine Tramunti, told The Messenger.
The attorney said that while "half of these guys love Trump,” most “all of them are almost unified in their position of hating f***ing Rudy.”
"All of my clients who had the misfortune of being prosecuted by him are laughing now,” added attorney Jeffrey Lichtman, who represented John “Junior” Gotti. “As am I."
"It’s not just an ironic result but it’s a just result,” he added. “He was a horribly dishonest prosecutor and the wheel of karma is about to crush him.”
As the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mr Giuliani gained notoriety for his frequent used of the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which he used to convict organised crime figures like “Fat Tony” Salerno, Carmine “Junior” Persico, and Paul Castellano.
Rudy Giuliani is facing racketeering charges in Georgia related to the 2020 election— (AP)
Earlier this week, Mr Giuliani, along with Donald Trump and 17 others, was indicted in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in the state and keep Mr Trump in power.
As The Independent reported, the former New York mayor is being prosecuted under a state version of the RICO statute, which is considered broader than the federal one. Prosecutors will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that multiple criminal activities were related to the larger goal of flipping the election results. The state statute doesn’t require the criminal scheme at the heart of the RICO charges to be successful for it to be a crime.
Mr Giuliani, who has served as a personal lawyer and public figurehead for Mr Trump, was well aware of the irony that he’s facing RICO charges. He has denied any wrongdoing.
“This is a ridiculous application of the racketeering statute. There’s probably no one that knows it better than I do,” he told Newsmax on Tuesday.
“I was the first one to use it in white-collar cases, but … This is not meant for election disputes. I mean, this is ridiculous what she’s doing,” he added.
