Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wrapped up her case early and with a bang on Monday night, securing indictments against Donald Trump and 18 other people for conspiring to steal Georgia's electoral votes for the 2020 election. "Sprawling" is the favorite adjective applied to her case, which uses the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. Such laws were originally written to deal with the Mafia and other organized crime syndicates, and typically allow prosecutors "to pull an array of conduct" into their charges, Devan Cole at CNN explains, by painting a picture of a criminal conspiracy for a jury. It allows prosecutors to take down a mob boss, for instance, instead of just the guys who follow orders.
"RICO is a tool that allows a prosecutor's office and law enforcement to tell the whole story," Willis explained when announcing the charges. She's used the RICO law in an array of cases, from shutting down traditional gang activity to prosecuting teachers who conspired in a public school cheating scandal.
