Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is an American federal law. This law allows extended criminal penalties and civil actions for criminal networks. RICO means that the leaders of any group can be tried for crimes if they forced others do the crimes or help with the crimes.
The RICO act covers these crimes:
RICO started in 1970. Many different groups have been threatened with lawsuits or sued under this law.
Examples include: