Colorado COCCA Charges: How Racketeering Cases Are Built and Defended
August 18, 2026
You have the right to protest and in Colorado, you also have the right to bear arms. But what happens when those two rights collide? Can you bring a firearm to a protest?
Recent protests in Denver saw the confiscation of assault rifles from activists. While open carry is not legal in Denver, some protesters had weapons seized from their car after reports were made to police of suspicions the trunk contained military-style weapons.
The Colorado Times Recorder reported that [...]
People around the country are unsure of what to expect from the coronavirus situation. In many parts of the country, panic has set in and led to hoarding supplies.
It isn’t just toilet paper and canned food that people are stocking up on, however. In the state of Colorado, ammunition and firearms have been flying off the shelves.
Despite the extraordinary circumstances, police departments around the state want to remind everyone that the laws surrounding firearms are still in effect.[...]
In Colorado, we love our guns. Fortunately, our state is one of the most reasonable ones out there regarding gun laws. However, any weapons charges resulting from illegal possession or carrying of a firearm are still harshly prosecuted, so it is important to know the law.
Colorado is an open carry state, meaning that people here may carry a non-concealed firearm. However, there are a few important restrictions regarding what kind of firearms can be carried and by whom. Further, [...]
Common sense dictates that bringing a loaded gun into an airport on your person is not a good plan – and indeed, it is illegal. However, what if you are otherwise carrying a gun legally, and accidentally bring it into the airport?
This actually happened recently to a Colorado state representative. She brought a loaded gun in her handbag to a security checkpoint, which was detected in the X-ray machine. She was then arrested on suspicion of introducing a firearm [...]
In 2013, Colorado passed laws restricting the use and purchase of firearms for domestic violence offenders. The measure was created in order to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries from domestic violence in the state.
Five years later, studies on these laws have shown that the measure isn’t exactly working as planned
Unfortunately, domestic violence is still rampant across Colorado, despite these laws being in place. Why aren’t they working? 9News Denver thinks they know.
Over a three-month [...]
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 [...]