Joseph A. DeMaria was quoted in the Law360 article, "Execs Duck RICO Claims Over $1B Venezuelan Energy Deals." Full text can be found in the August 20, 2014, issue, but a synopsis is below.
A New York federal judge trimmed racketeering and conspiracy claims from a former U.S. ambassador's civil suit against three energy executives accused of bribing their way into $1 billion worth of Venezuelan energy construction contracts.
The judge dismissed a conspiracy claim because without RICO violations, there cannot be a conspiracy to commit such violations.
"We never thought this was a RICO case. We thought it was an abuse of the RICO statute, so we're very pleased with this decision," said Joseph A. DeMaria, who represents one of the defendants.
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