DOJ Debating Use of RICO Legislation to Cost Insurrectionists Concerned in Capitol Coup: Report

The US Department of Justice is weighing the application of “RICO” laws to prosecute mafia bosses behind crimes to indict right-wing group members who were involved in Donald Trump’s January 6 coup attempt at the Capitol, Reuters reports.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) was developed to help prosecutors convict leading mafia leaders who ordered others to commit crimes. RICO cases are complex; they often take years to develop and require the approval of the Justice Department. “

“RICO is designed to appeal to the godfather – the person who doesn’t get their hands bloody,” said Jeffrey Grell, a lawyer specializing in RICO law. “They would really only use RICO to run after the kingpins or the leaders.”

The embarrassed former President Donald Trump will stand trial in the U.S. Senate next week after the House of Representatives indicted him of inciting the January 6 riot.

“The obstruction of official government process, the indictment that some members of Oath Keepers and Proud Boy are currently facing, is viewed as ‘extortion’,” added Reuters.

Trump notoriously told the Proud Boys to sit back and stand by, and later they were part of the uprising, according to multiple reports. Group leader Enrique Tarrio worked undercover as a “productive” informant for years, Reuters also reported.

Read Reuters’ full RICO report here.

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