Racketeering

> *The Employers' Association of Chicago first used the term "racketeering" in a statement about the influence of organized crime in the Teamsters Union in June 1927. This coinage specifically defined a racket as a service that generates demand on its own and would not otherwise be required.*
>
>
> *Money laundering is one of the most prevalent racketeering offenses. It is the process of making money obtained through criminal conduct seem to have come from a legitimate source, to put it briefly.*
>
>
> *The use of force, deception, or intimidation in order to gain money is referred to as racketeering. It includes setting up, overseeing, or maintaining a dishonest business that commits crimes (a "racket").*
>
>
>
> *Racketeering is the practice of obtaining a business through unlawful means, running a business with income obtained unlawfully, or utilizing a business to carry out unlawful deeds. In an effort to stop racketeering, the American government introduced the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in October 1970.*
>
>

A multinational, national, or local grouping of highly centralized businesses operated by criminals that tries to illegally govern and control the production and distribution of a specific good or service is referred to as a "organized crime organization."

In the end, it is the result of a criminal conspiracy that feeds on itself by ruthlessly exploiting the social, political, and economic institutions of society.

## Gang

A gang is an organized organization of three or more people that exists for the exclusive purpose of committing crimes. To motivate their criminal targets, gangs may use violence or terror.

The group members identify as a whole by adopting a group identity that they use to instill fear or intimidation. Examples of this group identity include a common name, slogan, identifying sign, symbol, tattoo, or other physical marking, a particular style or color of clothing, a particular hairstyle, a hand sign, or graffiti.

Gangs are made up of hardened criminals who won't think twice about murdering, attacking, or using violence. They are engaged in extortion, murder, kidnapping, robbery, and smuggling. Some gangs engage in anti-social behavior, taking a share of the loot or a set payment for the assistance provided.

They have contemporary automobiles, bulletproof jackets, and weapons. The gang criminals are disciplined and effective, but they are also risky.

## Racketeering

A racket is a planned or organized crime, typically committed as a means of making a living or as a regular source of illicit or extorted funds. A racket is frequently an ongoing illegal enterprise. According to Donald Taft, it is "an organized crime in which the criminal elements provide a service to such members of society who are normally engaged in some legitimate business activity." It also involves dishonest methods of making money, such as lying to or deceiving others, selling useless items, adulterated goods, fake drugs, and other things, as well as deceiving or cheating people.

Racketeering

The racketeers don't take all the money; instead, they let the proprietors of illegal enterprises like prostitution, gambling, liquor trafficking, drug dealing, etc. continue their operations in exchange for monthly, predetermined payments from the racketeers.

In reality, money is requested and supplied in exchange for a criminal organization's 'protection' of those who run illegal businesses. Examples include witness intimidation and witness tampering, illegal gambling or bookmaking, including match fixing, kidnapping, murder and murder-for-hire, bribery and police corruption, seduction, cybercrimes, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, extortion, prostitution, and commercial sexual exploitation of children.

> Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation. The traditional and historically most common example of such a racket is the "protection racket", in which racketeers offer to protect a business from robbery or vandalism. However, the racketeers will themselves coerce or threaten the business into accepting this service. The term "racketeering" was coined by the Employers' Association of Chicago in June 1927 in a statement about the influence of organized crime in the Teamsters Union. A racket is defined by this coinage as being a service that calls forth its own demand, and would not have been needed otherwise.
>
>

#### Examples

Protection racket is a form of extortion in which the defendant offers to "protect" property from damage in exchange for a fee. A fencing racket is an operation specializing in the resale of stolen goods. Fraud and embezzlement operations include credit card fraud, check fraud, health care fraud, insurance fraud, lottery fraud, disability fraud, charity fraud, securities fraud, mortgage fraud, telemarketing fraud, return fraud, false billing and electoral fraud. Identity theft and sale of personal data are examples of identity theft and identity document forgery. Illegal arms trafficking operations, including: gun-running, knife-running and sale of explosives, and illicit gems and blood diamond operations. Drug trafficking operations include: depressants, opioids, stimulants, entactogens, hallucinogens, designer drugs, performance-enhancing substances and unlicensed pharmaceuticals. Organized prostitution operations include procuring, sex work, sexual tourism, and commercial sexual exploitation of children. Human trafficking rings include: trafficking of children, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, bride buying and debt bondage. Rum-running rackets (or alcohol smuggling), caffeinated alcoholic drink operations, illegal sale of alcohol to minors, and moonshine operations.

Crimes that may be considered to be a part of a pattern of racketeering activities include the following examples.

A protection racket is a type of extortion in which the perpetrators offer to "protect" property from harm in exchange for a fee while simultaneously threatening (perhaps in a covert manner) to carry out the damage they claim to be offering protection against, in whole or in part.

* An organization that specializes in selling stolen goods is known as a fencing racket.
* Any unauthorized lottery or criminal gaming activity is referred to as a numbers racket.
* Money laundering and other ingenious accounting techniques that are abused to hide the sources of illicit payments
* organized, coordinated, repetitive, or routine theft activities, such as pickpocketing, burglary, smash-and-grab, house invasion, theft of metals, petroleum, trains, banks, and art.
* shady business practices and shoplifting
* fraud and theft schemes, such as those involving credit cards, checks, healthcare, welfare, insurance, employment, lotteries, disabilities, charities, mail and wire transfers, securities, banks, mortgages, telemarketing, return fraud, false billing, and electoral fraud.
* Confidence tricks, such as thievery, overpayment, advance-fee, and romance scams.
* Rings that steal packages and rob mail
* Vehicle theft, truck theft, and chop shop activity
* counterfeiting activities, including forging identification documents and producing counterfeit consumer items like fake electronics, fake drugs, fake watches, and fake electrical components.
* unauthorized taxicab operations
* Data selling and identity theft
* ransomware and kidnapping rings
* services for contract homicide or murder for hire
* Activities involving white-collar financial crime, such as front-running, market manipulation, and insider trading
* Bribery and corrupt police officers
* Essay mills, contract cheating, organized academic dishonesty by school officials, and diploma mills
* Loan-sharking ringleaders
* Internet crimes
* Depressants, opioids, stimulants, entactogens, hallucinogens, designer drugs, performance-enhancing drugs, and illegal medications are all included in drug trafficking operations.
* Operations involving the trafficking of weapons, such as the selling of explosives, knives, and guns
* Extortion networks
* blackmailing tactics
* Operations involving fake currency and coins
* Procuring, sex employment, sexual tourism, and the commercial sexual exploitation of children are all examples of organized prostitution enterprises.
* rackets for smuggling cigarettes
* organized intimidation and witness tampering
* Modern-day pirate networks
* business eavesdropping activities
* operations for illegal jewels and blood diamonds
* Illegal betting, match-fixing, and gambling
* Rings that engage in bride-buying, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, child trafficking, and debt bondage are examples of human trafficking.
* Person-smuggling networks
* Trade activities in antiquities
* Rings that deal in organs
* Moonshine operations, caffeinated alcoholic beverage rackets, unlawful sales of alcohol to children, and rum-running rackets (or alcohol smuggling)
* Illegal nuclear trade activities
* Rackets for illegal subleasing
* Strip clubs, hotels, restaurants, casinos, nightclubs, bars, pornographic film studios, social clubs, construction companies, salvage yards, auto shops, laundromats, dry cleaners, waste management companies, farms, property development companies, hospitals, television studios, newsrooms, clinics, music stores, hardware stores, fisheries, airline companies, shipyards, florist shops, and fashion companies are just a few examples of otherwise ostensibly legal businesses that are engaged in criminal activity.
* Government corruption
* Corporate criminality
* Price fixing and bid rigging
* Corruption in the workplace or labor extortion
* jobs that don't show up
* backyard animal breeding operations for exotic pets, livestock, working dogs, working cats, and other domesticated species.
* Illegal sports, such as street racing, baiting, and fight clubs
* Overfishing and poaching
* Illegal mining, unauthorized building, and unauthorized logging
* Blood sports including bullfighting, cockfighting, ram fighting, dog fighting, and organized horse fighting
* Criminal organizations
* The most important component of organized crime group that seeks to regulate the supply of security is the crime syndicate, sometimes known as the "Mafia."
* They have their own "business" strategies, which are frequently run out of established headquarters.
* They refrain from using violence and have typically honorable positions in society.
* They reside in affluent neighborhoods, openly mingle with influential people, and pursue legitimate means of livelihood. They often operate as an organized criminal organization that supplies illegal goods and services. Drugs, alcohol, and other illegal substances may be sold, while illegal services such as call girls and gambling may be provided. They generally work in large cities, which also happen to be important hubs for communication, transportation, and product distribution.

## Syndicates of Crime

They follow the correct hierarchy. They don't deal face-to-face.

There are frequently unseen bosses in each syndicate. At various levels, front men and underbosses carry out the tasks entrusted to them. The underboss gathers data, communicates with the boss, and disperses orders to subordinates.

In some situations, the boss has a counselor or advisor instead of an underboss. Criminals below the level of the underboss serve as "intermediaries" between staff members on the upper and lower levels.

Some of these middlemen serve as operating unit commanders. Ordinary criminals are the lowest level members and they answer to the "intermediaries."

A sizable number of employees and agents working for numerous illicit organizations are not part of the syndicate's organizational structure.