When Scarface Met Rico

This chapter traces the waning of Patrick’s career and that of the Outfit as law enforcement was closing in. It discusses the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statutes, which was part of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970. RICO expressly spelled out the capacity to target individuals for being part of a criminal organization. It expanded the existing power to bring conspiracy charges against criminal organizations. Under conspiracy, everyone involved had to be aware of the shared goal of the operation, and the group was defined by its participation in a particular crime. Under RICO, it became possible to convict someone who was part of an organization engaged in a pattern of illegal activity even if some members of the organization were unaware of specific actions or even of the ultimate goal of those actions.