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FBI highlights RICO, undercover work and global partnerships in fight against transnational organized crime
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Summary
FBI speakers say the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, wiretaps and long-term undercover operations—combined with international law-enforcement partnerships and financial investigations—are central to dismantling transnational organized crime, and the Bureau urges public reporting of suspicious activity.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation outlined the tools it uses to investigate transnational organized crime, stressing legal statutes, undercover operations and international partnerships as central elements.
Joseph, a unit chief in the FBI's Transnational Crime Section, said the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) “has become probably one of the strongest tools that we have that distinguish us from many other jurisdictions around the world.” He and FBI historian Dr. John Fox described how wiretap authority in 1968, the 1970 passage of RICO and long-term undercover work allowed prosecutors to pursue enterprise-level conspiracies rather than only isolated offenses.
Why it matters: Prosecutors can tie individual crimes into patterns to charge leadership and organizers rather than only peripheral actors. That legal framework, the Bureau says, makes it easier to pursue complex networks that span national borders.
Speakers cited historical cases that show how those tools were used in practice, including union racketeering prosecutions and multijurisdictional investigations such as the Pizza Connection and prosecutions tied to John Gotti. Joseph said the Bureau can also apply RICO to atypical enterprises, pointing to the FIFA bribery and kickback investigation as an example of leveraging the statute beyond traditional organized-crime families.
Claudia, who serves as an assistant special agent in charge in the FBI San Juan office and earlier identified herself as a supervisory special agent in the Transnational Organized Crime Western Hemisphere unit, highlighted statutes that address violent crime tied to racketeering. “A lot of the cases that I investigated on the gang side, we used violent crime and native racketeering, or VICAR for short,” she said, explaining that conspiracy charges under VICAR and RICO can hold people liable even if they did not commit the violent act directly.
The Bureau also emphasized financial investigations. “Since transnational criminal organizations are largely revenue driven, the bureau is often able to use their money laundering activities to secure an indictment,” Joseph said, noting that financial work and international cooperation are often needed to affect arrests and prosecutions across borders.
Speakers reiterated limits on investigative scope. Joseph cautioned that First Amendment protections mean the FBI cannot open investigations solely because a group lawfully assembles; the Bureau must demonstrate criminal violations before proceeding.
The episode framed the FBI's approach as a blend of statutes (RICO, VICAR), investigative tactics (wires, undercover work) and partnerships—domestically and internationally—to target leadership and dismantle transnational criminal enterprises.
The podcast concluded by directing listeners to fbi.gov/history and fbi.gov/organizedcrime for more background on past cases and statutory authorities.
