Law 299 - Federal Criminal Law Enforcement (Prof. Abrams)

This course uses close examination of specific federal crimes to explore issues relating to the role of the federal government in criminal law enforcement. These issues include, for example, a) the question of what kinds of crimes the federal government should prosecute, given the primary responsibility of local and state governments for enforcement against crime; and b) the fact that the federal penal code largely duplicates and overlaps with the coverage of state criminal codes: Under what circumstances, if any, does (should?) the federal government prosecute crimes already prosecuted in the state courts?

Crime topics are addressed under general headings such as Group and Organizational Crime, Fraud and Political Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering. Specific, unique and innovative federal crimes such as RICO, Money Laundering, Mail Fraud, the Hobbs Act, and the Travel Act are studied. Attention will also be given to the emphasis on the federal government's role in fighting terrorism and the statutory offenses that it uses in this effort. Civil RICO is also studied, a subject that requires familiarity with the federal criminal law but is useful for corporate lawyers to know. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which have revolutionized federal sentencing are also examined.