Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Cases in Federal Courts, 2022

• In Event: BJS Federal Justice Statistics

Abstract

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act is a federal law (Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-68) that enables federal prosecutors to charge organized criminal groups, allowing the government to prosecute the leaders and associates of any criminal enterprise that affects interstate or foreign commerce. RICO allow prosecutors to charge persons for their role in a pattern of racketeering activity. To be charged under the RICO Act, there must be a pattern of racketeering activity within a certain timeframe. Racketeering activity includes the act or threat of murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in a controlled substance, and other serious crimes punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. RICO charges focus on organized criminal activity and typically involve charges against more than one person. This presentation will include analyses from the Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) to describe persons investigated, convicted, and sentenced for federal offenses involving RICO violations. The FJSP collects, standardizes, and reports on administrative data received by six federal justice agencies: the U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Executive Office of the U.S. Attorneys, Bureau of Prisons, and U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Author

• Suzanne Strong, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US DOJ