What Is RICO? The Law That Broke the Mafia
Mobsters DailyRICO is the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a 1970 federal law that lets prosecutors charge a crime boss for the pattern of offenses his whole organisation commits — the law that broke the Mafia.
The problem RICO solved
For decades the mob's structure was its shield: bosses ordered nothing in writing, soldiers did the work, and the man at the top was legally untouchable. Drafted with Notre Dame law professor G. Robert Blakey's design, RICO attacked the structure itself. If two or more listed crimes — a 'pattern of racketeering activity' — were run through an 'enterprise,' everyone who conducted that enterprise's affairs was liable, with up to 20 years per count and forfeiture of the profits. It was first proven against a sitting boss in the case of Frank Tieri.
The mob's greatest strength — its organisation — became the charge sheet — which is why November rewatch season belongs to the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater, Tony in black-and-white stencil with full gabagool energy, made for holiday parties and long nights back in this world.
Giuliani and the Commission Trial
The law's coming-out party was the 1985–86 Mafia Commission Trial in New York, where U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani's team prosecuted the ruling Commission itself as the enterprise, as detailed in the Commission Trial story. Bosses who had survived fifty years of police work were convicted together and effectively sentenced to life. Through the late 1980s and 1990s, RICO — supercharged by flipped witnesses — dismantled family after family.
Frequently asked questions
When was RICO passed? In 1970, as part of the Organized Crime Control Act signed by President Nixon.
What does a RICO charge require? A pattern of at least two racketeering acts run through an enterprise within ten years.
Is RICO only used against the Mafia? No — it has since been used against gangs, corrupt unions, businesses and even FIFA officials.
Keep reading: What is omerta? · Mafia ranks, explained · What was the Mafia Commission?
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