History of RICO law used in indictment of 45 MN gang members

The RICO Act and Minneapolis street gangs

Federal authorities are using the RICO Act to take down Minneapolis street gangs. This is the first time the U.S.. Attorney in Minnesota has used RICO against street gangs. Why was it used this time?

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - U.S. Attorney Andy Luger announced Wednesday that his office was using RICO law to indict 45 Minneapolis-based gang members. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law was enacted in 1970 to target the mafia. 

This is the first time the U.S. Attorney in Minnesota has used RICO law on Minneapolis-based street gangs. A spokesperson for Luger’s office said the most recent similar case would be when the office used RICO law against the native mob about a decade ago.

Thursday, attorney Jeff Grell says it's used most commonly in civil cases. He doesn’t know why Luger chose to use RICO in this particular case.

"It's an unusual crime that requires this sort of higher elevated level of proof," said Grell. "It’s a much more comprehensive outlook - rather than looking at individual defendants and individual acts of crime you take the whole thing and bundle it together."

Grell has been specializing in RICO law for three decades and teaches a class on it as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota.

In the 1990s, adult bookstore owner Ferris Alexander of Minnetonka was convicted using RICO law. It's also been used in other states to prosecute the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang and R&B singer R Kelly.