Colorado COCCA Charges: How Racketeering Cases Are Built and Defended
August 18, 2026
You’re never too old for Halloween. Every year, thousands of adults join in on the Halloween spirit by dressing up and attending parties. The key difference to many adult celebrations, however, is the inclusion of alcohol.
Although these festivities are good-natured fun, whenever there’s alcohol involved, there’s a risk. In fact, October 31st has one of the highest rates for vehicle accidents and fatalities associated with driving under the influence.
Halloween Drinking and Driving Accidents by the NumbersResearch shows [...]
Operating a motor vehicle in Colorado under the influence of, while impaired from, or with an excessive internal alcoholic content all fall under the umbrella of “Driving Under the Influence,” or DUI.
There are a number of penalties in place for violation of DUI law in our state, including the requirement to pay a fine, report to a probation officer, complete counseling, and perform community service. However, under certain circumstances you may be granted a deferred judgement.
What does this [...]
Everyone deserves a second chance after a DUI.
After all, your first DUI may have been a simple mistake. People are less forgiving, however, after a second DUI arrest.
If you thought you had to fight hard after your first DUI charge, you are going to need to fight twice as hard to avoid the heavy penalties that come with a second DUI conviction.
In this post, we’re going to detail how consequences increase with second DUI offenses.
Penalties for[...]If you cause an accident while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you face not only a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charge, but also other serious criminal charges that could be punishable by lengthy incarceration and driver’s license revocation.
The exact charges resulting from a DWI accident will depend on whether anyone was injured or killed, and if so, the severity of the injuries. Other circumstances surrounding the offense may also affect sentencing and penalties.
Below, we cover [...]
If you are facing drugged driving charges in Colorado, certain defenses have a pretty good chance of working… while others really aren’t worth your time.
In this post we’re going to talk about common strategies people try with these types of cases, focusing on which ones are generally good and which ones just plain don’t work.
First, though, a bit about DUID charges.
Understanding Drugged Driving in ColoradoDriving under the influence of any drug is a serious crime in [...]
Colorado COCCA charges are racketeering charges used when prosecutors claim a person participated in an enterprise through a pattern of criminal activity. These cases often grow out of drug, theft, burglary, fraud, identity theft, or financial investigations that are later reframed as organized conduct.
A COCCA count is not automatic just because several people were charged together or because prosecutors believe more than one crime occurred. The state must prove specific structural elements, including an enterprise and a pattern of [...]
Most criminal cases in Denver do not end with a jury verdict. They end with a decision: whether to accept a plea agreement, reject the offer, keep negotiating, or prepare for trial. That decision can shape your record, your freedom, your sentence, your probation terms, and your future long after the court date.
A plea bargain is not just “taking a deal.” It is a legal agreement that may involve reduced charges, dismissed counts, sentencing limits, probation terms, restitution, treatment [...]
A police crash report can make a serious collision look settled before the defense has examined the evidence. It may assign fault, estimate speed, describe the point of impact, and frame the driver’s conduct as reckless or impaired. In a Denver vehicular assault case, those early conclusions can influence charging decisions, plea negotiations, and how prosecutors present the case.
The problem is that a police report is not proof. Officers often prepare crash reports based on witness statements, final vehicle [...]