Criminal

The RICO Act

In the United States, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a federal law that was

enacted to give extended penalties in the prosecution of organized criminal acts. The RICO Act is codified as

Chapter 96 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, which deals with federal crimes and criminal procedure. Although it

was intended to be used against the Mafia and others engaged in organized crime, the RICO Act has been used

to prosecute all sorts of criminal activity.

History

The RICO Act was created as part of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970. As a product of two sets of

Congressional hearings that took place in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the act's main focus was on measures

that would be prohibitive to gambling organizations. Sponsored by Senator John Little McClellan and drafted

by G. Robert Blakey, the Rico Act was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on 15 October 1970.

Crimes and Punishments

Under the RICO Act, a person can be charged with racketeering — which includes bribery, extortion, illegal

drug sales, loan sharking, murder and prostitution — if he or she has committed two of the 27 federal and eight

state crimes under U.S. legislation within a 10-year period. The law gives the government the power to

criminally prosecute and imprison an organized crime leader even if he or she has never personally committed

any of the components of racketeering. This is because he or she is part of a criminal enterprise.

RICO sets criminal penalties for racketeering activity. Convicted persons are fined or sentenced to prison for

as long as 20 years. In some cases, however, the defendant can receive a life sentence. This can occur when the

violation is based on a crime for which the maximum penalty includes life imprisonment.

Compensation for Victims

The RICO Act also provides a civil suit component for victims. This includes the relatives of murdered

victims, employers whose workers were...