Colorado COCCA Charges: How Racketeering Cases Are Built and Defended
August 18, 2026
Carrying a concealed weapon is a serious responsibility—and in Colorado, the laws around it can be more complicated than they seem. If you carry a firearm or are thinking about getting a permit, it’s essential to understand your rights and obligations under state law. Because when things go wrong, they can go very wrong.
Even a simple mistake—like carrying in a restricted area or letting your permit lapse—can lead to criminal charges. That’s why knowing the law and calling a [...]
No one wants to get pulled over by the police when driving, but several things can turn a routine traffic stop into a serious incident – including driving while intoxicated.
However, if the police observe you driving under the influence in Colorado and you have a firearm in the car, things can get much more complicated.
If you’re a firearm owner, it’s vital to understand what the law says about keeping a firearm in your vehicle. There are possible consequences [...]
Does it surprise you to learn that thousands of guns go missing in the state of Colorado every year? It’s true.
If you own a gun and lose it, you’re not required to report it to the police – at least not yet.
A woman who lost her daughter to a gunshot wound from a stolen gun is advocating for a new law. It would require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in panic for a lot of people. That manifests itself through the stockpiling of certain items. For some people, it’s food or household products; for others, it’s guns and ammunition.
Reports out of Colorado Springs have detailed the increased sales of firearms throughout the state. Some gun retailers say their sales are four times greater now than they were one year ago. This has resulted in a shortage of ammunition as well.
Of course, every [...]
In the modern era, gun control has become a very divisive issue. Local gun ordinance laws can clash with state laws, as has been the case in Colorado recently.
For example, in Boulder in 2018, the city council passed an ordinance that banned the possession and sale of high-capacity magazines and assault-style weapons within the city limits.
After passing this ordinance, the city’s citizen groups sued and now the Colorado Supreme Court is going to weigh in on whether or [...]
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 [...]