RICO Laws
Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) of 1970 in an attempt to combat organized crime. The application and use of the law has raised important First Amendment issues implicating the right to freedom of association.
RICO laws attempt to fight organized crime
RICO criminalizes three activities:
* using illegal income to acquire, establish, or operate an enterprise;
* acquiring an interest in such an enterprise; and
* using an enterprise to collect a debt.
In addition, the law makes it an offense to conspire to engage in any of the above activities. Actions defined as racketeering under RICO include extortion, violation of the Hobbs Act of 1948, and other crimes that may interfere with interstate commerce.
https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/ar ... ssociation.RICO’s breadth is significant, applying to any “pattern of racketeering activity,” which is defined as having within the preceding 10 years committed two or more predicate acts — that is, such acts as mail fraud, murder, or trafficking in obscene material on which a subsequent RICO prosecution is based, or predicated. RICO has several civil law provisions that allow for private parties to collect damages if a violation occurs.
Supreme Court considered using RICO law against organization trying to shut down abortion clinics
Although the main focus and use of RICO is directed toward organized crime, it has also been applied to various white-collar crimes, such as fraud prosecutions. But the most controversial application has involved activity traditionally thought to be covered or protected by the First Amendment.
For example, in Scheidler v. National Organization for Women (1994), the Supreme Court ruled that RICO could be used to collect damages against anti-abortion groups seeking to shut down women’s clinics.........
Of course today's Supreme Court might rule otherwise - Might rule that a woman's right to abortion is not only not protected but is illegal and a crime
This is because the Republican Party used illegal techniques to fix elections {as they tried in the Presidential election of 2020, where they attempted to overturn the legitimate vote of the people through a systematic use of lies generated by the 'boss' of the Republican Party Donald Trump who stated before the election only he could win ]
Today we see the RICO statuses being used to prosecute Rap singers and groups {mostly black singers} claiming they are involved with gangs
So why not prosecute a much more serious enemy of the United States, the Republican Party of Donald Trump, who now represents
an attempt by his party to:
1. Restrict women's rights to own their own bodies.
2. Restrict voting rights so conservative mostly white people will find it easier to vote.
3. Undermine the integrity of free elections and ultimately 'fix' elections to win them.
Is the Republican Partly still controlled by Donald Trump {the boss} a legitimate political organization
Or is it organized crime, a 'Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization' [RICO]