On October 15, 1970, in an effort to curb mob activity in the United States, Congress passes the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The law, also known as the RICO Act, amplifies penalties for people committing crimes as a part of organized criminal enterprises. Under its provisions, anyone convicted could face up to 20 years in prison and be required to forfeit all profits earned through racketeering to the government.
Long before the RICO Act’s passage, the federal government had been laying the groundwork to fight the mob. In 1951, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver convened a Senate committee to investigate organized crime. Three years later, the U.S. Justice Department created the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section—complete with a federal strike force—to intensify those efforts.
