Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) of 1970 in an attempt to combat organized crime. The application and use of the law has raised important First Amendment issues implicating the right to freedom of association. RICO laws attempt to fight organized crime RICO criminalizes three activities:
using illegal income to acquire, establish, or operate an enterprise; acquiring an interest in such an enterprise; and using an enterprise to collect a debt. In addition, the law makes it an offense to conspire to engage in any of the above activities. Actions defined as racketeering under RICO include extortion, violation of the Hobbs Act of 1948, and other crimes that may interfere with interstate commerce. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1237/rico-laws