A RICO charge refers to a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a United States federal law enacted in 1970 to combat organized crime. Under this law, a person can be charged if they have committed at least two acts of racketeering activity within a 10-year period that are related to an enterprise, which can be either legal or illegal, such as a corporation, a criminal organization, or a street gang

. Racketeering activity covers a broad range of crimes, including but not limited to arson, bribery, extortion, murder, kidnapping, robbery, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, and drug trafficking

. These crimes are known as "predicate offenses" under RICO. The purpose of the RICO Act is to target not just individual criminals but entire criminal enterprises by linking multiple criminal acts to the organization. This allows prosecutors to impose severe penalties, including up to 20 years in prison per racketeering count, fines up to $250,000 or double the proceeds earned from illegal activities, and forfeiture of all ill-gotten gains and interests in the enterprise

. Additionally, the government can freeze a defendant's assets before trial to prevent the dissipation of property that could be forfeited if the defendant is convicted

. RICO charges have been used not only against traditional organized crime groups like the Mafia but also against street gangs, corrupt politicians, corporations, and other entities engaged in ongoing criminal conduct

. In summary, a RICO charge is a serious federal accusation that involves participating in a pattern of criminal activity as part of an enterprise, with harsh criminal and financial penalties designed to dismantle organized crime and corrupt organizations