Source: https://m.openjurist.org/464/us/16
Timestamp: 2020-04-05 13:35:41
Document Index: 23341475

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1963', '§ 1962', '§ 1963', '§ 1963', '§ 1963', '§ 1963', '§ 1963', '§ 1961', '§ 1963', '§ 1', '§ 904', '§ 3731']

464 U.S. 16 - Russello v. United States
464 US 16 Russello v. United States
Joseph C. RUSSELLO, Petitioner
We are fortified in this conclusion by our examination of the structure of the RICO statute. We disagree with those courts that have felt that a broad construction of the word "interest" is necessarily undermined by the statute's other forfeiture provisions. The argument for a narrow construction of § 1963(a)(1) is refuted by the language of the succeeding subsection (a)(2). The former speaks broadly of "any interest . . . acquired," while the latter reaches only "any interest in . . . any enterprise which [the defendant] has established[,] operated, controlled, conducted, or participated in the conduct of, in violation of section 1962." Similar less expansive language appears in §§ 1962(b) and 1964(a). "[W]here Congress includes particular language in one section of a statute but omits it in another section of the same Act, it is generally presumed that Congress acts intentionally and purposely in the disparate inclusion or exclusion." United States v. Wong Kim Bo, 472 F.2d 720, 722 (CA5 1972). See United States v. Wooten, 688 F.2d 941, 950 (CA4 1982). Had Congress intended to restrict § 1963(a)(1) to an interest in an enterprise, it presumably would have done so expressly as it did in the immediately following subsection (a)(2). See North Haven Board of Education v. Bell, 456 U.S. 512, 521, 102 S.Ct. 1912, 1917, 72 L.Ed.2d 299 (1982); United States v. Naftalin, 441 U.S. 768, 773-774, 99 S.Ct. 2077, 2081-2082, 60 L.Ed.2d 624 (1979). In the latter case, id., at 773, 99 S.Ct., at 2082, the Court said: "The short answer is that Congress did not write the statute that way." We refrain from concluding here that the differing language in the two subsections has the same meaning in each. We would not presume to ascribe this difference to a simple mistake in draftsmanship.
The evolution of these statutory provisions supplies further evidence that Congress intended § 1963(a)(1) to extend beyond an interest in an enterprise. An early proposed version of RICO, S. 1861, 91st Cong., 1st Sess. (1969), had a single forfeiture provision for § 1963(a) that was limited to "all interest in the enterprise." This provision, however, later was divided into the present two subsections and the phrase "in the enterprise" was excluded from the first. Where Congress includes limiting language in an earlier version of a bill but deletes it prior to enactment, it may be presumed that the limitation was not intended. See Arizona v. California, 373 U.S. 546, 580-581, 83 S.Ct. 1468, 1487-1488, 10 L.Ed.2d 542 (1963). See Weiner, Crime Must Not Pay: RICO Criminal Forfeiture in Perspective, 1981 N.Ill.U.L.Rev. 225, 238 and n. 49. It is no answer to say, as petitioner does, Brief for Petitioner 17-18, that if the term "interest" were as all-encompassing as suggested by the majority opinion of the Court of Appeals, § 1963(a)(2) would have no meaning independent of § 1963(a)(1), and would be mere surplusage. This argument is plainly incorrect. Subsection (a)(1) reaches "any interest," whether or not in an enterprise, provided it was "acquired . . . in violation of section 1962." Subsection (a)(2), on the other hand, is restricted to an interest in an enterprise, but that interest itself need not have been illegally acquired. Thus, there are things forfeitable under one, but not the other, of each of the subsections.2
We note that the RICO statute's definition of the term "enterprise" in § 1961(4) encompasses both legal entities and illegitimate associations-in-fact. See United States v. Turkette, 452 U.S., at 580-593, 101 S.Ct., at 2527-2533. Forfeiture of an interest in an illegitimate association-in-fact ordinarily would be of little use because an association of that kind rarely has identifiable assets; instead, proceeds or profits usually are distributed immediately. Thus, construing § 1963(a)(1) to reach only interests in an enterprise would blunt the effectiveness of the provision in combatting illegitimate enterprises, and would mean that "[w]hole areas of organized criminal activity would be placed beyond" the reach of the statute. United States v. Turkette, 452 U.S., at 589, 101 S.Ct., at 2531.
The legislative history clearly demonstrates that the RICO statute was intended to provide new weapons of unprecedented scope for an assault upon organized crime and its economic roots. Congress' statement of findings and purpose in enacting Pub.L. 91-452, 84 Stat. 922 (1970), is set forth in its § 1. This statement dramatically describes the problem presented by organized crime. Congress declared, id., at 923: "It is the purpose of this Act to seek the eradication of organized crime in the United States . . . by providing enhanced sanctions and new remedies to deal with the unlawful activities of those engaged in organized crime." This Court has recognized the significance of this statement of findings and purpose. United States v. Turkette, 452 U.S., at 588-589, 101 S.Ct., at 2531-2532. Further, Congress directed, by § 904(a) of Pub.L. 91-452, 84 Stat. 947: "The provisions of this title shall be liberally construed to effectuate its remedial purposes." So far as we have been made aware, this is the only substantive federal criminal statute that contains such a directive; a similar provision, however, appears in the Criminal Appeals Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3731.
We therefore disagree with the reasoning of the respective courts in the Marubeni, McManigal, Meyers, and Thevis cases, and we affirm the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.3