1
 The Justice Department is in the process 
5001
span

2
of trying to gain control over a law 
5002
span

3
that federal Judge David Sentelle recently called a monster.
2
elaboration-object-attribute

4
 Needless to say,
5
comment

5
 he was talking about RICO.
5003
span

6
 With its recently revised guidelines for RICO,
7
circumstance

7
 Justice makes it clear that the law currently holds too many incentives for abuse by prosecutors.
5004
span

8
 The text of the new policy guidelines from the Criminal Division are reprinted nearby. 
5008
span

9
They strongly suggest 
10
attribution

10
that Justice's prosecutions of Drexel Burnham Lambert, Michael Milken and Princeton/Newport violated notions of fundamental fairness.
5007
span

11
 Justice is attempting to avoid a replay of these tactics.
5010
Problem-Solution

12
 This amounts to an extraordinary repudiation of the tenure of New York mayoral candidate and former U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani, 
5011
span

13
who was more inclined to gathering scalps than understanding markets.
12
elaboration-additional

14
 The new guidelines limit the pretrial forfeitures of assets of RICOed defendants and their investors, clients, bankers and others.
5014
Inverted-Sequence

15
 This follows earlier new guidelines from the Tax Division 
5013
span

16
prohibiting Princeton/Newport-like tax cases from masquerading as RICO cases.
15
elaboration-object-attribute

17
 The forfeiture memo cited considerable criticism in the press, 
5015
span

18
because of a perception 
5016
span

19
that pre-trial freezing of assets is tantamount to a seizure of property 
5017
span

20
without due process.
19
manner

21
 It told prosecutors not to seek forfeitures 
5018
span

22
if there are less intrusive alternatives, such as bonds,
21
condition

23
 and in any case not to seek forfeitures disproportionate to the defendant's crime.
5019
List

24
 These changes come a tad late for Princeton/Newport, the first RICOed securities firm. 
5028
circumstance

25
It was forced into liquidation before trial
5021
Temporal-Same-Time

26
 when investors yanked their funds 
5021
Temporal-Same-Time

27
after the government demanded a huge pre-trial asset forfeiture.
5021
temporal-after

28
 Princeton/Newport investors,
5025
span

29
 including McKinsey & Co. and the Harvard endowment,
28
elaboration-part-whole-e

30
 made the rational decision 
5027
span

31
to withdraw their money; 
30
purpose

32
for the firm, the liquidation was sentence first, verdict later.
5030
span

33
 Prosecutors wanted $23.8 million in forfeiture for alleged tax fraud of some $400,000.
32
evidence

34
 The experience of Princeton/Newport and initiation of other RICO-forfeiture cases against legitimate businesses taught Drexel 
5031
span

35
that a RICOed investment bank would be an ex-investment bank.
34
elaboration-object-attribute

36
 Drexel therefore agreed instead to an arrangement
5032
span

37
 allowing it to plea to charges 
5033
span

38
which the company is not in a position 
5034
span

39
to dispute 
38
elaboration-object-attribute

40
because of RICO.
5034
consequence-n

41
 Part of Drexel's plea was to cut Mr. Milken loose.
5038
span

42
 So after all the prosecutorial hoopla no one has established what, if anything, Drexel did wrong.
41
temporal-after

43
 So two cheers for the new rules.
5009
comment

44
 Justice has finally recognized its employees' abuses, thanks largely to the demands for reform by former U.S. attorney in Washington Joseph diGenova,
5040
span

45
 who wants to salvage RICO for real criminals.
44
elaboration-additional

46
 But prosecutorial guidelines are effective 
5044
span

47
only if someone at Justice is willing and able to supervise hyperactive prosecutors.
46
condition

48
 Judge Sentelle, of the appeals court in Washington, made this point at a Cato Institute conference last week in a remarkable speech 
5046
span

49
titled, RICO: 
5047
span

50
The Monster That Ate Jurisprudence.
49
elaboration-additional

51
 He said 
52
attribution

52
ours is supposed to be a government of laws not of men, 
5048
span

53
and yet RICO defenders tell us 
5051
attribution

54
that we should rely on prosecutorial discretion 
5051
span

55
to protect against overbreadth of RICO.
54
purpose

56
 No prosecutorial guidelines,
5052
span

57
 observed or unobserved,
56
elaboration-object-attribute-e

58
 limit civil RICO cases by plaintiffs for damages.
5053
Same-Unit

59
 What now for Princeton/Newport officials, Drexel and Mr. Milken? 
5060
rhetorical-question

60
Justice should review these cases 
5057
span

61
to see what other prosecutorial abuses may have occurred.
60
purpose

62
 We suspect 
5059
attribution

63
that Justice will some day agree 
5059
span

64
that only the complete repeal of RICO can guarantee an end to injustices in its name.
63
elaboration-object-attribute

5001
span
5005
span

5002
span
1
purpose-e

5003
span
5001
elaboration-additional

5004
span
5009
span

5005
span
5006
span

5006
span
5063
span

5007
span
5010
Problem-Solution

5008
span
5041
span

5009
span
5043
span

5010
multinuc
5012
span

5011
span
5010
explanation-argumentative

5012
span
8
elaboration-additional

5013
span
5014
Inverted-Sequence

5014
multinuc
5042
span

5015
span
5020
span

5016
span
17
consequence-n

5017
span
18
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5018
span
5019
List

5019
multinuc
5024
span

5020
span
5014
elaboration-additional

5021
multinuc
5022
span

5022
span
5028
span

5023
span
5019
elaboration-additional

5024
span
5015
elaboration-additional

5025
span
5026
Same-Unit

5026
multinuc
5029
span

5027
span
5026
Same-Unit

5028
span
5023
span

5029
span
5037
span

5030
span
5026
comment

5031
span
5032
comment

5032
span
5036
span

5033
span
5039
span

5034
span
5035
span

5035
span
37
elaboration-additional-e

5036
span
5029
elaboration-additional

5037
span
5022
elaboration-additional

5038
span
5033
elaboration-additional

5039
span
36
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5040
span
5064
span

5041
span
5004
elaboration-additional

5042
span
5008
elaboration-additional

5043
span
5005
elaboration-additional

5044
span
5045
span

5045
span
5055
span

5046
span
5044
explanation-argumentative

5047
span
48
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5048
span
5050
Contrast

5049
span
5050
Contrast

5050
multinuc
5054
span

5051
span
5049
span

5052
span
5053
Same-Unit

5053
multinuc
5050
elaboration-additional

5054
span
5056
span

5055
span
5040
elaboration-additional

5056
span
5045
elaboration-additional

5057
span
5060
span

5058
span
5057
comment

5059
span
5058
span

5060
span
5062
span

5061
span



5062
span
5054
comment

5063
span



5064
span
5006
elaboration-additional

