§ 1961. Definitions

4,503 words·~20 min read·/usc/title-18/section-1961

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

As used in this chapter—

(1)“racketeering activity” means

(A)any act or threat involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in obscene matter, or dealing in a controlled substance or listed chemical (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act), which is chargeable under State law and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year;

(B)any act which is indictable under any of the following provisions of title 18, United States Code: Section 201 (relating to bribery), section 224 (relating to sports bribery), sections 471, 472, and 473 (relating to counterfeiting), section 659 (relating to theft from interstate shipment) if the act indictable under section 659 is felonious, section 664 (relating to embezzlement from pension and welfare funds), sections 891–894 (relating to extortionate credit transactions), section 932 (relating to straw purchasing), section 933 (relating to trafficking in firearms), section 1028 (relating to fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents), section 1029 (relating to fraud and related activity in connection with access devices), section 1084 (relating to the transmission of gambling information), section 1341 (relating to mail fraud), section 1343 (relating to wire fraud), section 1344 (relating to financial institution fraud), section 1351 (relating to fraud in foreign labor contracting), section 1425 (relating to the procurement of citizenship or nationalization unlawfully), section 1426 (relating to the reproduction of naturalization or citizenship papers), section 1427 (relating to the sale of naturalization or citizenship papers), sections 1461–1465 (relating to obscene matter), section 1503 (relating to obstruction of justice), section 1510 (relating to obstruction of criminal investigations), section 1511 (relating to the obstruction of State or local law enforcement), section 1512 (relating to tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant), section 1513 (relating to retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant), section 1542 (relating to false statement in application and use of passport), section 1543 (relating to forgery or false use of passport), section 1544 (relating to misuse of passport), section 1546 (relating to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents), sections 1581–1592 (relating to peonage, slavery, and trafficking in persons).,1 sections 1831 and 1832 (relating to economic espionage and theft of trade secrets), section 1951 (relating to interference with commerce, robbery, or extortion), section 1952 (relating to racketeering), section 1953 (relating to interstate transportation of wagering paraphernalia), section 1954 (relating to unlawful welfare fund payments), section 1955 (relating to the prohibition of illegal gambling businesses), section 1956 (relating to the laundering of monetary instruments), section 1957 (relating to engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity), section 1958 (relating to use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire), section 1960 (relating to illegal money transmitters), sections 2251, 2251A, 2252, and 2260 (relating to sexual exploitation of children), sections 2312 and 2313 (relating to interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles), sections 2314 and 2315 (relating to interstate transportation of stolen property), section 2318 (relating to trafficking in counterfeit labels for phonorecords, computer programs or computer program documentation or packaging and copies of motion pictures or other audiovisual works), section 2319 (relating to criminal infringement of a copyright), section 2319A (relating to unauthorized fixation of and trafficking in sound recordings and music videos of live musical performances), section 2320 (relating to trafficking in goods or services bearing counterfeit marks), section 2321 (relating to trafficking in certain motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts), sections 2341–2346 (relating to trafficking in contraband cigarettes), sections 2421–24 (relating to white slave traffic),2 sections 175–178 (relating to biological weapons), sections 229–229F (relating to chemical weapons), section 831 (relating to nuclear materials),

(C)any act which is indictable under title 29, United States Code, section 186 (dealing with restrictions on payments and loans to labor organizations) or section 501(c) (relating to embezzlement from union funds),

(D)any offense involving fraud connected with a case under title 11 (except a case under section 157 of this title), fraud in the sale of securities, or the felonious manufacture, importation, receiving, concealment, buying, selling, or otherwise dealing in a controlled substance or listed chemical (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act), punishable under any law of the United States,

(E)any act which is indictable under the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act,

(F)any act which is indictable under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 274 (relating to bringing in and harboring certain aliens), section 277 (relating to aiding or assisting certain aliens to enter the United States), or section 278 (relating to importation of alien for immoral purpose) if the act indictable under such section of such Act was committed for the purpose of financial gain, or

(G)any act that is indictable under any provision listed in section 2332b(g)(5)(B);

(2)“State” means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, any political subdivision, or any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof;

(3)“person” includes any individual or entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property;

(4)“enterprise” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity, and any union or group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal entity;

(5)“pattern of racketeering activity” requires at least two acts of racketeering activity, one of which occurred after the effective date of this chapter and the last of which occurred within ten years (excluding any period of imprisonment) after the commission of a prior act of racketeering activity;

(6)“unlawful debt” means a debt

(A)incurred or contracted in gambling activity which was in violation of the law of the United States, a State or political subdivision thereof, or which is unenforceable under State or Federal law in whole or in part as to principal or interest because of the laws relating to usury, and

(B)which was incurred in connection with the business of gambling in violation of the law of the United States, a State or political subdivision thereof, or the business of lending money or a thing of value at a rate usurious under State or Federal law, where the usurious rate is at least twice the enforceable rate;

(7)“racketeering investigator” means any attorney or investigator so designated by the Attorney General and charged with the duty of enforcing or carrying into effect this chapter;

(8)“racketeering investigation” means any inquiry conducted by any racketeering investigator for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person has been involved in any violation of this chapter or of any final order, judgment, or decree of any court of the United States, duly entered in any case or proceeding arising under this chapter;

(9)“documentary material” includes any book, paper, document, record, recording, or other material; and

(10)“Attorney General” includes the Attorney General of the United States, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, the Associate Attorney General of the United States, any Assistant Attorney General of the United States, or any employee of the Department of Justice or any employee of any department or agency of the United States so designated by the Attorney General to carry out the powers conferred on the Attorney General by this chapter. Any department or agency so designated may use in investigations authorized by this chapter either the investigative provisions of this chapter or the investigative power of such department or agency otherwise conferred by law.

(Added Pub. L. 91–452, title IX, § 901(a), Oct. 15, 1970, 84 Stat. 941; amended Pub. L. 95–575, § 3(c), Nov. 2, 1978, 92 Stat. 2465; Pub. L. 95–598, title III, § 314(g), Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2677; Pub. L. 98–473, title II, §§ 901(g), 1020, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2136, 2143; Pub. L. 98–547, title II, § 205, Oct. 25, 1984, 98 Stat. 2770; Pub. L. 99–570, title I, § 1365(b), Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3207–35; Pub. L. 99–646, § 50(a), Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3605; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, §§ 7013, 7020(c), 7032, 7054, 7514, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4395, 4396, 4398, 4402, 4489;

Pub. L. 101–73, title IX, § 968, Aug. 9, 1989, 103 Stat. 506; Pub. L. 101–647, title XXXV, § 3560, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4927; Pub. L. 103–322, title IX, § 90104, title XVI, § 160001(f), title XXXIII, § 330021(1), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1987, 2037, 2150; Pub. L. 103–394, title III, § 312(b), Oct. 22, 1994, 108 Stat. 4140; Pub. L. 104–132, title IV, § 433, Apr. 24, 1996, 110 Stat. 1274; Pub. L. 104–153, § 3, July 2, 1996, 110 Stat. 1386; Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title II, § 202, Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–565;

Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §§ 601(b)(3), (i)(3), 604(b)(6), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3499, 3501, 3506; Pub. L. 107–56, title VIII, § 813, Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 382; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, § 4005(f)(1), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1813; Pub. L. 108–193, § 5(b), Dec. 19, 2003, 117 Stat. 2879; Pub. L. 108–458, title VI, § 6802(e), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3767; Pub. L. 109–164, title I, § 103(c), Jan. 10, 2006, 119 Stat. 3563; Pub. L. 109–177, title IV, § 403(a), Mar. 9, 2006, 120 Stat. 243;

Pub. L. 113–4, title XII, § 1211(a), Mar. 7, 2013, 127 Stat. 142; Pub. L. 114–153, § 3(b), May 11, 2016, 130 Stat. 382; Pub. L. 117–159, div. A, title II, § 12004(a)(3), June 25, 2022, 136 Stat. 1328.)