Defendant Who Tried to Execute Judge Has RICO Conviction Upheld

A conviction for conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, handed down against a defendant who tried to assassinate a state judge so he could continue his various fraud schemes, was upheld by the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday.

The evidence supported the verdict that Chimene Onyeri shot Texas state Judge Julie H. Kocurek so he could stay out of jail and continue his fraud schemes, the opinion by Judge Edith Brown Clement said.

From 2011 to 2015, Onyeri and his associates operated credit card and tax fraud schemes using stolen personal information. When Onyeri was caught, Kocurek ...