Atlanta pimps' racketeering convictions upheld

<p>Two Atlanta pimps who argued they shouldn't have been convicted of racketeering had their appeal rejected by a federal appeals court Tuesday.</p><p>In the convictions two years ago of Charles "Sir Charles" Pipkins and Andrew "Batman" Moore, federal prosecutors used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. It was thought to be first use of the RICO Act for a violent child prostitution ring.</p><p>If the RICO convictions had been tossed out, the prison terms for Pipkins and Moore would have been cut nearly in half. Moore was sentenced to 40 years in prison and Pipkins to 30 years.</p><p>A three-judge panel in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the pimps deserved the racketeering convictions. Atlanta lawyer Jim Jenkins, appointed to represent Moore, had argued that the pimps were competitors and didn't work together.</p><p>But judges noted testimony that Moore and Pipkins colluded to set prices for sex acts by the prostitutes, between $30 and $80, and recruited and swapped prostitutes with each other.</p><p>"They worked together to make money prostituting juveniles," the judges wrote.</p><p>Also, the ring operated in several states, even advertising prostitutes on the Internet. Multistate operations are another key to racketeering convictions.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/8/163671