As used in ss. 895.01–895.08, the term:

(1) “Beneficial interest” means any of the following:

(a) The interest of a person as a beneficiary under a trust established pursuant to s. 689.07 or s. 689.071 in which the trustee for the trust holds legal or record title to real property;
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 895.02

  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. Source: OCC
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Usury: Charging an illegally high interest rate on a loan. Source: OCC
  • writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(b) The interest of a person as a beneficiary under any other trust arrangement pursuant to which a trustee holds legal or record title to real property for the benefit of such person; or
(c) The interest of a person under any other form of express fiduciary arrangement pursuant to which any other person holds legal or record title to real property for the benefit of such person.

The term “beneficial interest” does not include the interest of a stockholder in a corporation or the interest of a partner in either a general partnership or a limited partnership. A beneficial interest shall be deemed to be located where the real property owned by the trustee is located.

(2) “Civil proceeding” means any civil proceeding commenced by an investigative agency under s. 895.05 or any other provision of the Florida RICO Act.
(3) “Criminal proceeding” means any criminal proceeding commenced by an investigative agency under s. 895.03 or any other provision of the Florida RICO Act.
(4) “Documentary material” means any book, paper, document, writing, drawing, graph, chart, photograph, phonorecord, magnetic tape, computer printout, other data compilation from which information can be obtained or from which information can be translated into usable form, or other tangible item.
(5) “Enterprise” means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, business trust, union chartered under the laws of this state, or other legal entity, or any unchartered union, association, or group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal entity; and it includes illicit as well as licit enterprises and governmental, as well as other, entities. A criminal gang, as defined in s. 874.03, constitutes an enterprise.
(6) “Investigative agency” means the Department of Legal Affairs, the Office of Statewide Prosecution, or the office of a state attorney.
(7) “Pattern of racketeering activity” means engaging in at least two incidents of racketeering conduct that have the same or similar intents, results, accomplices, victims, or methods of commission or that otherwise are interrelated by distinguishing characteristics and are not isolated incidents, provided at least one of such incidents occurred after October 1, 1977, and that the last of such incidents occurred within 5 years after a prior incident of racketeering conduct.
(8) “Racketeering activity” means to commit, to attempt to commit, to conspire to commit, or to solicit, coerce, or intimidate another person to commit:

(a) Any crime that is chargeable by petition, indictment, or information under the following provisions of the Florida Statutes:

1. Section 210.18, relating to evasion of payment of cigarette taxes.
2. Section 316.1935, relating to fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and aggravated fleeing or eluding.
3. Chapter 379, relating to the illegal sale, purchase, collection, harvest, capture, or possession of wild animal life, freshwater aquatic life, or marine life, and related crimes.
4. Section 403.727(3)(b), relating to environmental control.
5. Section 409.920 or s. 409.9201, relating to Medicaid fraud.
6. Section 414.39, relating to public assistance fraud.
7. Section 440.105 or s. 440.106, relating to workers’ compensation.
8. Section 443.071(4), relating to creation of a fictitious employer scheme to commit reemployment assistance fraud.
9. Section 465.0161, relating to distribution of medicinal drugs without a permit as an Internet pharmacy.
10. Section 499.0051, relating to crimes involving contraband, adulterated, or misbranded drugs.
11. Part IV of chapter 501, relating to telemarketing.
12. Chapter 517, relating to sale of securities and investor protection.
13. Section 550.235 or s. 550.3551, relating to dogracing and horseracing.
14. Chapter 550, relating to jai alai frontons.
15. Section 551.109, relating to slot machine gaming.
16. Chapter 552, relating to the manufacture, distribution, and use of explosives.
17. Chapter 560, relating to money transmitters, if the violation is punishable as a felony.
18. Chapter 562, relating to beverage law enforcement.
19. Section 624.401, relating to transacting insurance without a certificate of authority, s. 624.437(4)(c)1., relating to operating an unauthorized multiple-employer welfare arrangement, or s. 626.902(1)(b), relating to representing or aiding an unauthorized insurer.
20. Section 655.50, relating to reports of currency transactions, when such violation is punishable as a felony.
21. Chapter 687, relating to interest and usurious practices.
22. Section 721.08, s. 721.09, or s. 721.13, relating to real estate timeshare plans.
23. Section 775.13(5)(b), relating to registration of persons found to have committed any offense for the purpose of benefiting, promoting, or furthering the interests of a criminal gang.
24. Section 777.03, relating to commission of crimes by accessories after the fact.
25. Chapter 782, relating to homicide.
26. Chapter 784, relating to assault and battery.
27. Chapter 787, relating to kidnapping, human smuggling, or human trafficking.
28. Chapter 790, relating to weapons and firearms.
29. Chapter 794, relating to sexual battery, but only if such crime was committed with the intent to benefit, promote, or further the interests of a criminal gang, or for the purpose of increasing a criminal gang member’s own standing or position within a criminal gang.
30. Former s. 796.03, former s. 796.035, s. 796.04, s. 796.05, or s. 796.07, relating to prostitution.
31. Chapter 806, relating to arson and criminal mischief.
32. Chapter 810, relating to burglary and trespass.
33. Chapter 812, relating to theft, robbery, and related crimes.
34. Chapter 815, relating to computer-related crimes.
35. Chapter 817, relating to fraudulent practices, false pretenses, fraud generally, credit card crimes, and patient brokering.
36. Chapter 825, relating to abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult.
37. Section 827.071, relating to commercial sexual exploitation of children.
38. Section 828.122, relating to fighting or baiting animals.
39. Chapter 831, relating to forgery and counterfeiting.
40. Chapter 832, relating to issuance of worthless checks and drafts.
41. Section 836.05, relating to extortion.
42. Chapter 837, relating to perjury.
43. Chapter 838, relating to bribery and misuse of public office.
44. Chapter 843, relating to obstruction of justice.
45. Section 847.011, s. 847.012, s. 847.013, s. 847.06, or s. 847.07, relating to obscene literature and profanity.
46. Chapter 849, relating to gambling, lottery, gambling or gaming devices, slot machines, or any of the provisions within that chapter.
47. Chapter 874, relating to criminal gangs.
48. Chapter 893, relating to drug abuse prevention and control.
49. Chapter 896, relating to offenses related to financial transactions.
50. Sections 914.22 and 914.23, relating to tampering with or harassing a witness, victim, or informant, and retaliation against a witness, victim, or informant.
51. Sections 918.12 and 918.13, relating to tampering with jurors and evidence.
(b) Any conduct defined as “racketeering activity” under 18 U.S.C. § 1961(1).
(c) Any violation of Title 68, Florida Administrative Code, relating to the illegal sale, purchase, collection, harvest, capture, or possession of wild animal life, freshwater aquatic life, or marine life, and related crimes.
(9) “Real property” means any real property or any interest in such real property, including, but not limited to, any lease of or mortgage upon such real property.
(10) “RICO lien notice” means the notice described in s. 895.05(13) or in s. 895.07.
(11) “Trustee” means any of the following:

(a) Any person acting as trustee pursuant to a trust established under s. 689.07 or s. 689.071 in which the trustee holds legal or record title to real property.
(b) Any person who holds legal or record title to real property in which any other person has a beneficial interest.
(c) Any successor trustee or trustees to any or all of the foregoing persons.

However, the term “trustee” does not include any person appointed or acting as a personal representative as defined in s. 731.201 or appointed or acting as a trustee of any testamentary trust or as a trustee of any indenture of trust under which any bonds have been or are to be issued.

(12) “Unlawful debt” means any money or other thing of value constituting principal or interest of a debt that is legally unenforceable in this state in whole or in part because the debt was incurred or contracted:

(a) In violation of any one of the following provisions of law:

1. Section 550.235 or s. 550.3551, relating to dogracing and horseracing.
2. Chapter 550, relating to jai alai frontons.
3. Section 551.109, relating to slot machine gaming.
4. Chapter 687, relating to interest and usury.
5. Section 849.09, s. 849.14, s. 849.15, s. 849.23, or s. 849.25, relating to gambling.
(b) In gambling activity in violation of federal law or in the business of lending money at a rate usurious under state or federal law.
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