Racketeering

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/racketeering

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is racketeering?Racketeering is a type of organized crime where people run a business that makes money by tricking or threatening others. It uses fraud, coercion, or fake problems that need fake solutions.
2. How do racketeers make money?They set up a system that keeps making money over and over by forcing people to pay for fake services or by creating fake problems that only they can solve. The money comes from those who are scared or confused.

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO): A U.S. federal law targeting organized crime by criminalizing the receipt or use of income derived from a pattern of racketeering activity.
Extortion: The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through coercion or threats.
Illicit Enterprise: A business or organization engaged in illegal activities for profit.