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Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

1 8.8
United States law from 1970 used to fight organized crime by giving stronger punishments
  • noun
  • /ˈrækɪˌtiːər ˈɪnfluənst ənd kəˈrʌpt ɔːrɡənaɪzeɪd ˈækt/
  • Formal
translation icon : Ley de Organizaciones Corruptas e Influenciadas por el Crimen
  • Law enforcement agencies frequently use the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to dismantle criminal organizations and seize their assets.
  • Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
  • federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970

Examples

  • The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act allows for harsher penalties to deter people from engaging in organized crime.

  • The U.S. Supreme Court in recent years has recognized the potential liability of lawyers and their firms under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Can you imagine a class-action or RICO ("Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations" Act) suit?

    Blog text (32)

  • The federal government has successfully prosecuted several individuals under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for their involvement in organized crime.

Synonyms

RICO Act
vsRacketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • Formal
1 7.2

A U.S. federal law that punishes organized crime and lets authorities seize money and property

focuses on acts within an organization rather than only individual offenders
RICO
vsRacketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • Formal
1 8.8

A U.S. law that lets prosecutors punish and take money and property from organized crime groups

focuses on acts done as part of an organization rather than on whole enterprises

Surface Forms

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act singular
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Acts plural

Morphology

racketeer + influence + and + corrupt + organization + act

Each constituent directly contributes to the overall meaning: 'act' denotes a law, and 'racketeer', 'influenced', 'corrupt', and 'organizations' together describe organizations affected by racketeering and corruption. Despite being a formal legal title, the phrase is compositional and a B1 learner who knows the words can infer it refers to a law targeting organizations involved in or influenced by racketeering/corruption.

Etymology

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was made to catch people called racketeers who ran criminal 'rackets'—bad businesses that use threats or bribes. It targets those who influence or corrupt an organization, so today the name means the U.S. law used to fight organized crime.