IT'S A RICO CASE:

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance could be considering a criminal charge that former President Donald Trump's business empire was a corrupt enterprise under a New York law resembling the federal racketeering statute known as RICO, former prosecutors and defense attorneys said.

New York's enterprise corruption statute -- which carries the potential for severe penalties -- can be applied to money-making businesses alleged to have repeatedly engaged in criminal activity as a way to boost their bottom line. [...]

The state law -- sometimes called "little RICO" -- can be invoked with proof of as few as three crimes involving a business or other enterprise and can carry a prison term of up to 25 years, along with a mandatory minimum of one to three years.

"It's a very serious crime," said Michael Shapiro, a defense attorney who used to prosecute corruption cases in New York. "Certainly, there are plenty of things an organization or business could do to run afoul of enterprise corruption, if they're all done with the purpose of enhancing the revenue of the enterprise illegally. ... It's an umbrella everything else fits under."

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