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Ripped straight from the headlines from the Atlanta Fulton County Superior Courthouse where Donald J. Trump and 18 of his co-defendants have been indicted under the Georgia Racketeering Act — we’ll take an in-depth, investigative look at the Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
RICO was designed by the U.S. Congress in order to “whack” the mob — to be the ultimate “hit man”.
The Act has extremely sharp legal teeth in order to accomplish that task.
This legislation was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on October 15, 1970, as Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act (OCCA) as a means by which the federal government could combat organized crime. The Act today is covered in 18 USC §§ 1961-1968 and provides the legal means by which prosecutors can identify and convict those who operate illegal businesses.
The roots of RICO, however, extend as far back as 1950, when the problem of criminal infiltration of legitimate business was first documented. The U.S. was a very different place then than it is today. Organized crime was a highly sophisticated, diversified and widespread activity that annually drained billions of dollars from America’s economy by the illegal use of force, fraud and corruption.
Congress found that organized crime had extensively infiltrated and exercised corrupt influence over numerous legitimate businesses and labor unions throughout the U.S. and posed a “new threat to the American economic system”. Congress further established that organized crime derived a major portion of its power through money obtained from crimes such as gambling, loan sharking, theft and fencing of property, the drug trade, and other forms of social exploitation.
While in prison together at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, the then Genovese Crime Family Mob Boss Vito Genevese -- mistakenly thinking that Joseph Valachi was a “rat” -- gave Valachi the “kiss of death”.
That solitary action sent a chilling message to Valachi, putting the fear of death in his heart, mind and soul. Valachi sought revenge, choosing to “rat out” the mob before the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs, the FBI, the DOJ and the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation. Valachi’s testimony would prove crucial in the government’s efforts to combat organized crime, which would eventually lead to RICO.
As we set the scene — we dive headfirst into:
♦ Defining the purpose, scope and breadth of RICO as well as provide its contextual and historical background and legislative origins.
♦ Comparing, contrasting and highlighting another high-profile RICO case currently underway in the very same courthouse as the former president’s (that case involves the rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams).
♦ The specific crimes that fall under the vast “umbrella” of RICO.
♦ How a person violates the RICO statute.
♦ The length of sentences for those found guilty of violating RICO.
♦ Important terms and relevant vocabulary words.
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All this y mucho mucho más on this explosive, investigatory edition of Light ‘Em Up.