RICO

The Business Torts & Civil RICO Committee focuses on competition law -- both federal and state law -- other than the "traditional" antitrust statutes. In disputes involving business competition and anti-competitive practices, business torts (such as claims for unfair trade practices, interference with contractual relations, and fraud) and civil RICO claims are often used as adjuncts to, or in lieu of, antitrust claims. Likewise, as states strengthen their consumer protection statutes, actions under those statutes are another common means outside of the "traditional" antitrust area for litigants to press claims and police competition practices.

The Organized Crime and Racketeering Section (OCRS) coordinates the Department's program to combat organized crime. The principal enforcement efforts are currently directed against traditional groups such as La Cosa Nostra families emerging groups from Asia and Europe, such as Chinese Triads, the Sicilian Mafia, and Russian organized crime. OCRS supervises the investigation and prosecution of these cases by Strike Force Units within U.S. Attorneys' Offices in 21 federal districts having a significant organized crime presence. These cases involve a broad spectrum of criminal statutes, including extortion, murder, bribery, fraud, narcotics, and labor racketeering.

To combat the ongoing threat posed by these groups, we have a long-established—yet constantly evolving—organized crime program dedicated to eliminating the criminal enterprises that pose the greatest threat to America.

RICO stands for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. § 1961), a law that increases the severity of penalties for crimes performed in conjunction with organized crime. The law states that any person or group who commits any two out of a list of 35 crimes (known as racketeering activity in the U.S. Code) within a decade and can be determined to have committed them with similar results or similar intentions can be charged with racketeering.

Legislation that provides support for legal actions against individuals or organizations involved in systematic illegal activities.

Crime is increasing in scope, intensity and sophistication. It threatens the safety of citizens around the world and hampers countries in their social, economic and cultural development. Globalization has provided the environment for a growing internationalization of criminal activities. Multinational criminal syndicates have significantly broadened the range of their operations from drug and arms trafficking to money laundering. Traffickers move as many as 4 million illegal migrants each year generating gross earnings of between 5 and 7 billion US dollars. The detrimental effects of corruption on economies worldwide have been mounting. A corrupt country is likely to achieve aggregate investment levels of almost 5 percent less than a relatively uncorrupt country and to lose about half a percentage point of gross domestic product growth per year.

The Strategic Intelligence Reviews represent the highest priority concerns of our consumers in the policymaking, law enforcement, and military communities. They provide increased depth on the issues outlined in both Presidential Decisionnd the DCI Guidance on Intelligence Priorities, Together with these documents, the Strategic Intelligence Reviews are intended to serveaseline for allocating collection and production resources and for supporting mission-based budgeting.

Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) is a strategically-focused organization that facilitates the timely production and exchange of criminal information and intelligence within the Canadian law enforcement community. CISC supports the effort to reduce the harm caused by organized crime through the delivery of strategic intelligence products and services and by providing leadership and expertise to its member agencies.

Europol is the European Law Enforcement Agency which aims at improving the effectiveness and co–operation of the competent authorities in the Member States in preventing and combating terrorism, unlawful drug trafficking and other serious forms of organised crime.

The International Association for the Study of Organized Crime (IASOC) is a professional association of criminologists, researchers, working professionals, teachers, and students. IASOC works to promote greater understanding and research about organized crime in all its manifestations.

Interpol acts as a central repository for professional and technical expertise on transnational organized crime and as a clearinghouse for the collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of information relating to organized crime and criminal organizations. It also monitors the organized crime situation on a global basis and co-ordinates international investigations. Interpol’s mission in this regard is to enhance co-operation among member countries and stimulate the exchange of information between all national and international enforcement bodies concerned with countering organized crime groups and related corruption.

The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, adopted by General Assembly resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000, is the main international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime.

Information is provided regarding organized crime, its prevention and related issues.

ROCIC serves as a vehicle for the collection, evaluation, analysis, dissemination, and storage of information regarding the multi-jurisdictional activities of the wide spectrum of organized crime. Member agencies, totaling more than 1,950, are represented throughout the 14 southeastern states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and comprise all levels of government - municipal, county, parish, judicial district, state, and federal.

Transnational organized crime "will be a defining issue of the 21st century for policymakers - as defining as the Cold War was for the 20th century and colonialism was for the 19th. Terrorists and transnational crime groups will proliferate because these crime groups are major beneficiaries of globalization. They take advantage of increased travel, trade, rapid money movements, telecommunications and computer links, and are well positioned for growth

Crime Magazine is about true crime: organized crime, celebrity crime, serial killers, corruption, sex crimes, capital punishment, prisons, assassinations, justice issues, crime books, crime films and crime studies.

Although the RICO Act can be used in many contexts, the statute is most easily understood in its intended context: the Mafia. In the context of the Maifa, the defendant person (i.e., the target of the RICO Act) is the Godfather. The "racketeering activity" is the criminal activities in which the Mafia engages, e.g., extortion, bribery, loan sharking, murder, illegal drug sales, prostitution, etc. Because the Mafia family has engaged in these criminal actions for generations, the criminal actions constitute a pattern of racketeering activity.

Articles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to Criminal Law including: arson, assault, battery, bribery, burglary, child abuse, child pornography, computer crime, controlled substances, credit card fraud, criminal defense, criminal law, drugs and narcotics, DUI, DWI, embezzlement, fraud, expungements, felonies, homicide, identity theft, manslaughter, money laundering, murder, perjury, prostitution, rape, RICO, robbery, sex crimes, shoplifting, theft, weapons, white collar crime and wire fraud.