United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019-07-31
18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)
Case and law context
Role: applied; posture: criminal; members of a street-gang set convicted by a jury of RICO conspiracy under § 1962(d) and related VICAR, witness-tampering, obstruction and § 924(c) offenses; CA4 upheld the RICO conspiracy convictions against sufficiency challenges, vacated only § 924(c) counts predicated on Virginia kidnapping, and remanded for resentencing; result: claimant-won; claim: (d)
Uncertainty
opinion: IR text is capped at 60000 chars (cut inside the appended footnotes); footnotes @56686.. belong to the same opinion
Misfit
None recorded
B · Case × element grid
Top-level elements follow claim order in panels of up to six elements. Case rows repeat across panels. Every recorded block retains its holding and basis; multiple blocks are not merged into a case-level verdict. ✓ satisfied · ✗ not satisfied · ○ not reached · · not addressed. Muted blocks are not counted. Sub-element evidence remains on case and element pages.
Elements 1–6 of 19
| Case | Culpable person (§ 1961(3)) distinct from the enterprise under (c) | Pattern of racketeering activity (§ 1961(5)): at least two predicate acts with relatedness and continuity | Racketeering activity (§ 1961(1) enumerated state and federal predicate offenses) | Collection of an unlawful debt (§ 1961(6)) — alternative to pattern of racketeering activity | Use or investment of racketeering income in an enterprise (§ 1962(a)) | Enterprise (§ 1961(4)): legal entity or association-in-fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed |
Elements 7–12 of 19
| Case | Interstate or foreign commerce nexus | De minimis open-market securities investment proviso (§ 1962(a)) | Acquire or maintain interest in or control of an enterprise (§ 1962(b)) | Defendant employed by or associated with the enterprise (§ 1962(c)) | Conduct or participate in the conduct of enterprise affairs (§ 1962(c) operation or management test) | Conspiracy to violate § 1962(a), (b), or (c) (§ 1962(d)) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed |
Elements 13–18 of 19
| Case | Civil RICO injury to business or property (18 U.S.C. § 1964(c)) | But-for and proximate causation ("by reason of", 18 U.S.C. § 1964(c)) | Statute of limitations (4-year civil under Agency Holding; 5-year criminal under 18 U.S.C. § 3282) | Claim preclusion / release by prior class-action settlement | Civil aiding and abetting a RICO violation (rejected as a private cause of action) | Fifth Amendment Double Jeopardy bar against successive RICO conspiracy/substantive prosecutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed |
Elements 19–19 of 19
| Case | Parol evidence rule raised to bar extrinsic evidence of fraudulent misrepresentations |
|---|---|
| United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | · not addressed |
Instances and excluded annotation blocks
| Case | Element | Holding and scope | Pattern | Exact source quotations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Conspiracy to violate § 1962(a), (b), or (c) (§ 1962(d)) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: proved; claim: (d); party: Halisi Uhuru and Anthony Stokes, founders and leaders of DNGS; count: Count 1 RICO conspiracy, § 1962(d); theory: sufficiency of the evidence; subject: party=Halisi Uhuru and Anthony Stokes, founders and leaders of DNGS; count=Count 1 RICO conspiracy, § 1962(d); theory=sufficiency of the evidence Salinas: a conspirator need only agree to pursue the enterprise's criminal objective; drug trafficking and post-murder obstruction were held to be racketeering acts within the conspiracy. | gang founders and leaders who directed the enterprise without personally committing the robberies | Both men were the enterprise's founders and leaders.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [34265:34317] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.Both defendants had a central role in directing the enterprise, which required its members to commit crimes for the gang's welfare and support.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [34318:34461] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.Halisi and Stokes ordered the destruction of, or directly destroyed, evidence related to Quick's murder, including Quick's ATM card, the murder weapon, and the phones belonging to DNGS members.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [35516:35709] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5."[A] defendant can conspire to violate RICO and violate [ Section] 1962(d) without himself committing or agreeing to commit the two or more acts of racketeering activity."Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [33727:33898] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.These facts strongly support the jury's conclusion that Halisi and Stokes were actively involved in the RICO conspiracy conducted by DNGS, including the robberies committed by the capital defendants and others.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [34462:34672] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5. |
| United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Enterprise (§ 1961(4)): legal entity or association-in-fact | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: proved; claim: (d); party: the six defendants (Halisi, Stokes, Kweli, Mersadies, Shantai, Mathis), members of the Double Nine Goon Syndikate (DNGS) set of the Bloods; count: Count 1 RICO conspiracy, § 1962(d); theory: sufficiency of the evidence; subject: party=the six defendants (Halisi, Stokes, Kweli, Mersadies, Shantai, Mathis), members of the Double Nine Goon Syndikate (DNGS) set of the Bloods; count=Count 1 RICO conspiracy, § 1962(d); theory=sufficiency of the evidence Sufficiency upheld: the gang set was an association-in-fact enterprise under Turkette/Boyle; its hierarchy, though not required, was additional evidence. | street-gang set with insignia, rules, regular meetings, mutual protection and a ranked leadership council | DNGS members received tattoos and wore red clothing signifying their membership in the gang, congregated regularly at membership meetings, and had a set of governing rules that members were expected to follow.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [30283:30492] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.Members shared a common function and purpose, namely, to enrich members of the gang by "putting in work" through the commission of violent crimes and selling drugs.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [30493:30657] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.And here, the government's evidence established that DNGS had a clearly delineated leadership structure.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [30960:31064] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.The Supreme Court has explained that an "association-in-fact enterprise" must have "at least three structural features: a purpose, relationships among those associated with the enterprise, and longevity sufficient to permit these associates to pursue the enterprise's purpose."Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [29754:30031] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.Here, the government presented sufficient evidence from which a reasonable jury could conclude that DNGS was an "enterprise," within the meaning of the RICO statute.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [30117:30282] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5. |
| United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Relatedness of predicate acts (horizontal and vertical relatedness) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: proved; claim: (d); party: the six defendants (Halisi, Stokes, Kweli, Mersadies, Shantai, Mathis), members of the Double Nine Goon Syndikate (DNGS) set of the Bloods; count: Count 1 RICO conspiracy, § 1962(d); theory: sufficiency of the evidence; subject: party=the six defendants (Halisi, Stokes, Kweli, Mersadies, Shantai, Mathis), members of the Double Nine Goon Syndikate (DNGS) set of the Bloods; count=Count 1 RICO conspiracy, § 1962(d); theory=sufficiency of the evidence Defendants argued their crimes were unplanned and spontaneous; the court treated only the relatedness prong as in issue and found it met. | twelve gang crimes by shifting combinations of members sharing purposes and violent methods | The government introduced evidence of twelve racketeering acts leading up to Quick's kidnapping and murder.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [32422:32529] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.Those crimes shared the common purpose of enriching DNGS members, bolstering the gang's reputation for violence, or evading law enforcement authorities.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [32600:32752] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.In committing these crimes, the defendants employed firearms, threats of physical force, and actual physical force.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [32753:32868] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.Racketeering acts are related if they "have the same or similar purposes, results, participants, victims, or methods of commission, or otherwise are interrelated by distinguishing characteristics and are not isolated events."Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [31917:32142] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.We conclude that the government sufficiently established a "pattern of racketeering activity."Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [32327:32421] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5. |
Court interpretations recorded from this case
interpretation
To obtain a conviction under this statute, the government was required to prove "that an enterprise affecting interstate commerce existed; that each defendant knowingly and intentionally agreed with another person to conduct or participate in the affairs of the enterprise; and .
United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md))
To obtain a conviction under this statute, the government was required to prove "that an enterprise affecting interstate commerce existed; that each defendant knowingly and intentionally agreed with another person to conduct or participate in the affairs of the enterprise; and .Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [28535:28814] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.A de minimis effect on interstate commerce by the enterprise's activities (including detrimental effects on victims engaged in commerce) suffices.
interpretation
To obtain a conviction under this statute, the government was required to prove "that an enterprise affecting interstate commerce existed; that each defendant knowingly and intentionally agreed with another person to conduct or participate in the affairs of the enterprise; and .
United States v. Mathis — 932 F.3d 242 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2019 (18usc1962: author: Flash1 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md))
To obtain a conviction under this statute, the government was required to prove "that an enterprise affecting interstate commerce existed; that each defendant knowingly and intentionally agreed with another person to conduct or participate in the affairs of the enterprise; and .Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_932.jsonl#/f3d/932/0242-01; Unicode character offsets [28535:28814] (end exclusive); SHA-256 57793dd1aba827b59bff9ad538c0e503981d9c40eec6cbde662c786050cc5ea5.Note tension in older or lower-court civil opinions (e.g. Goldfine) that sometimes recite a requirement that each defendant agreed to commit two predicates; Salinas controls in criminal and modern civil cases, though civil § 1962(d) still requires a viable underlying § 1962(a)-(c) violation and an overt act that is itself a RICO predicate under Beck v. Prupis (529 U.S. 494 (2000)).