The Organized Crime and Racketeering Section (OCRS) coordinates the Department's program to combat organized crime. The principal enforcement efforts are currently directed against traditional groups such as La Cosa Nostra families emerging groups from Asia and Europe, such as Chinese Triads, the Sicilian Mafia, and Russian organized crime. OCRS supervises the investigation and prosecution of these cases by Strike Force Units within U.S. Attorneys' Offices in 21 federal districts having a significant organized crime presence. These cases involve a broad spectrum of criminal statutes, including extortion, murder, bribery, fraud, narcotics, and labor racketeering.
OCRS is involved in setting national priorities for the organized crime program by coordinating with investigative agencies such as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and others, and by working with the Attorney General's Organized Crime Council, which is ultimately responsible for the Federal Government's policy in this area.
In addition to its close supervision of all federal organized crime cases, OCRS reviews all proposed federal prosecutions under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute and provides extensive advice to prosecutors about the use of this powerful statute.
In a more specialized context, OCRS also reviews criminal prosecutions involving labor-management disputes, the internal affairs of labor unions in the private sector, and the operation of employee pension and welfare benefit plans.
Finally, OCRS maintains a cadre of experienced prosecutors in its Litigation Unit who travel as needed to prosecute or assist in the prosecution of organized crime cases in the U.S. Attorneys' Offices' Organized Crime Strike Force Units. The Litigation Unit attorneys are particularly trained in multi-defendant RICO cases, especially in the field of labor racketeering.
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