 Act. Rico laws help prosecutors connect the dots between underlings who broke laws and those who gave them marching orders. More than 30 US states have implemented their own versions of the federal government's Rico Act and Georgia's adaptation is broader in scope than most. Federal Rico statutes list 35 crimes that would qualify as evidence of racketeering, but Georgia's Rico laws choose from a list of 65. Prosecutors are required to show that a criminal "enterprise" exists and to detail a pattern of racketeering that rests on at least two qualifying crimes. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Rudy Giuliani (center) may face charges in any Rico indictment Penalties under Georgia's Rico Act are steep - prison terms between five and 20 years, or fines of up to $250,000 (£197,000) - and can help persuade subordinates to cut deals with the prosecution in exchange for lesser sentences. Such incidents may generate a wave of never-before-seen evidence and testimony prosecutors can use against the alleged ringleaders, according to Anthony){kind=link}
Donald Trump is already facing 78 criminal charges across three cases – but this week in Georgia, he could be hit with one he has never seen before: racketeering.
Local prosecutors in Fulton County have been investigating the efforts to overturn Mr Trump’s defeat in the closely-contested state in the 2020 election.
US media reports suggest the district attorney’s office could be pursuing racketeering charges that implicate several people in a sprawling election subversion conspiracy, with Mr Trump as the alleged ringleader.
If it does, it would be indicting a former American president on charges once used to convict mob bosses like John Gotti and Vincent Gigante.
Organised criminal activity in the US is routinely prosecuted under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act.