ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses RICO offenses, which were established by the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and criminalize the participation in racketeering or illegal business enterprises. RICO was established to destroy the American Mafia by holding leaders and members of racketeering organizations criminally liable. The chapter begins with the case of Joe Bonanno, an Italian Mafia leader who led one of the largest organized criminal enterprises in the country, but could never be convicted. While he may have led the criminal operations, he never personally pulled a trigger or smuggled drugs across borders. Before RICO, Mafia bosses like Bonanno regularly escaped conviction. The chapter then considers the case of David Camez, a teenager involved in an online fake ID and credit card operation who was charged in the first cybercrime case punishable under RICO. The chapter reveals how RICO has expanded the ability to convict members of racketeering organizations and discusses the variety of RICO statutes in the states, explaining why states may have adopted separate offenses while the federal RICO statute already existed.
