The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act—commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO—is a federal law that provides for criminal prosecution of racketeering activities as part of an ongoing criminal organization. 18 U.S.C. §1961. RICO is designed to address the infiltration of legitimate business enterprises by organized crime and other illegal ventures—such as laundry services, retail stores, restaurants, nightclubs, and labor unions—to commit gambling, money laundering, loan sharking, or extortion.

Under RICO, leaders of criminal organizations can be held liable for crimes they order others to commit, or assist them in committing, in furtherance of the ongoing criminal organization. Section 1962 sets forth three substantive offenses and makes it a crime to conspire to commit any of the three substantive offenses. Section 1961 provides definitions for terms used in the RICO statute. And section 1963 establishes criminal penalties, including imprisonment, fines, and criminal forfeiture.

In Georgia, as in other states, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a federal law that targets organized crime by allowing for the prosecution of individuals involved in ongoing criminal organizations. The law, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1961 and following, is designed to combat the infiltration of legitimate businesses by criminal enterprises. Under RICO, individuals in positions of authority within these organizations can be prosecuted for crimes they directed others to commit or assisted in, even if they did not commit the criminal act themselves. The law outlines substantive offenses under Section 1962 and provides definitions in Section 1961. Section 1963 details the penalties for RICO violations, which can include imprisonment, fines, and the forfeiture of assets. Georgia also has its own state RICO statute, which mirrors the federal law to some extent and allows the state to prosecute similar crimes at the state level.