NCJ Number
109804
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 55 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1988) Pages: 44-47
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute was enacted in 1970 to address problems associated with the investigation of organized crime and to provide a method for prosecution that does not require that all the criminal activities of an organized crime group be linked together by a perpetrator or common criminal conspiracy.
Abstract
The most far-reaching aspect of the statute is the Government's ability to file a civil suit requesting sanctions or injunctive relief for a recurring crime problem. The statute also contains forfeiture provisions that address the profit motive in organized crime. The investigation of an organized crime group begins with a review of intelligence and an estimation of group structure, membership, and criminal activities. Then, a thorough background investigation is conducted to identify individual members and their activities and proprietary interests. Consideration is given to available sanctions and whether to pursue overt or covert tactics. Direct and circumstantial evidence is recorded on the basis of the sanctions being pursued. To date, RICO, used in conjunction with the Witness Security Program, has been successful in combatting organized crime.