Racketeering

Racketeering is the act of engaging in illegal business activities, such as fraud, bribery, or extortion, for the purpose of making a profit. It is often associated with organized crime, and can involve a wide range of criminal activities. Racketeering is a serious crime and is punishable by fines and imprisonment. In the United States, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a federal law that is used to prosecute individuals and organizations involved in racketeering. The law allows for the seizure of assets and property obtained through racketeering activities, and also allows for enhanced penalties for individuals who have been convicted of multiple racketeering offenses.

 

 

Former San Diego Police Officer and Three Co-Defendants Indicted for Owning and Operating Illicit Massage Businesses in California and Arizona
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Former San Diego Police Officer and Three Co-Defendants Indicted for Owning and Operating Illicit Massage Businesses in California and Arizona

A federal judge in the Southern District of California partially unsealed an indictment today in which four individuals are charged with conspiracy, interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering (ITAR), money laundering, making a false statement to a mortgage lender, and wire fraud for conduct associated with owning and operating five illicit…

Prison Housing R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell ‘Like a Gulag’: Lawyer
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Prison Housing R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell ‘Like a Gulag’: Lawyer

R. Kelly has sued the prison where he and Ghislaine Maxwell are incarcerated after he was put on suicide watch, for purely “punitive measures” according to his lawyer. Attorneys for the prison have hit back saying the prison intended to keep Kelly on suicide watch and called for the claims to be dismissed. The disgraced…

R. Kelly Sues Detention Facility for “Cruel and Unusual Punishment” Under Suicide Watch
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R. Kelly Sues Detention Facility for “Cruel and Unusual Punishment” Under Suicide Watch

R. Kelly is suing the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, where he’s been incarcerated since being sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sex trafficking and racketeering charges, after being placed under suicide watch despite having no thoughts of self-harm. In the suit, which names the MDC facility and its warden Heriberto Tellez, the disgraced…

R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in sex trafficking case – Odessa American
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R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in sex trafficking case – Odessa American

NEW YORK Disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for using his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were just children, in a systematic scheme that went on for decades. Through tears and anger, several of Kelly’s accusers told a court, and the singer himself, that…

Four Members and Associates of Reading Boarding House Sex Trafficking
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Four Members and Associates of Reading Boarding House Sex Trafficking

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that four individuals from Reading, PA, were convicted at trial of offenses including conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion of a minor; various violent crimes in aid of racketeering offenses including kidnapping and assaults with…

Former Massachusetts Resident Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison
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Former Massachusetts Resident Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison

A former Brockton, Massachusetts, resident was sentenced today to twelve years in prison for participating in a sex trafficking conspiracy. Matthew Engram, 35, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; two counts of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution; and one count of…

Human-trafficking lawsuit against Iowa college survives legal challenge – Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Human-trafficking lawsuit against Iowa college survives legal challenge – Iowa Capital Dispatch

A human-trafficking lawsuit brought by 14 international students from Chile against Western Iowa Tech Community College has survived a round of legal challenges and is proceeding in federal court. The school and other defendants are accused of working in concert to entice impoverished students to leave their home in Chile and come to Iowa, where…

Stories you may have missed: Sex Trafficking Victims Being Punished; Sex Trafficker Admits to Recruiting a 14-Year-Old Minor; Nationwide Sex Trafficking and Prostitution Enterprise Indictments
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Stories you may have missed: Sex Trafficking Victims Being Punished; Sex Trafficker Admits to Recruiting a 14-Year-Old Minor; Nationwide Sex Trafficking and Prostitution Enterprise Indictments

Defendant Instructed Enforcer: “If She Dares Fight Back, Beat Her More Viciously. Get Some Results from the Beating.”

Nine Members and Associates of Nationwide Sex Trafficking Enterprise Indictment Unsealed
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Nine Members and Associates of Nationwide Sex Trafficking Enterprise Indictment Unsealed

Defendant Instructed Enforcer: “If She Dares Fight Back, Beat Her More Viciously. Get Some Results from the Beating.”  A 20-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn variously charging Siyang Chen, Siyu Chen, also known as “Ban Ban,” Bo Jiang, Meizhen Song, also known as “Die Die,” Rong Rong Xu, also known as…

EXECUTIVE ORDER: Enforcing Federal Law With Respect To Transnational Criminal Organizations And Preventing International Trafficking
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EXECUTIVE ORDER: Enforcing Federal Law With Respect To Transnational Criminal Organizations And Preventing International Trafficking

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: It shall be the policy of the executive branch to: (a) strengthen enforcement of Federal law in order to thwart transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, […]