what are rico charges

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an enterprise. A violation of RICO occurs when a person, in connection with an enterprise, engages in a pattern of racketeering activity. Racketeering activity includes a wide range of crimes such as bribery, extortion, money laundering, and wire fraud. The power of RICO lies in its conspiracy provision, based on an enterprise rationale, that allows tying together apparently unrelated crimes with a common objective into a prosecutable pattern of racketeering. A conviction under RICO has serious consequences, including criminal penalties such as 20 years of prison and severe financial penalties. In addition, forfeiture of the defendant’s entire interest in the enterprise is handed over to the government, which can cause irreparable harm to the enterprise.