What Do the RICO Charges Mean on GENERAL HOSPITAL?

When Jason returned to GENERAL HOSPITAL, fans were surprised by the twist that he was working with the FBI, specifically Agent John Cates. The reason he was doing so was because they threatened him with RICO charges. And while it was eventually revealed that he was actually protecting Carly from the charges, that still left some viewers confused as to what, exactly, RICO charges actually are!

RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations. and the RICO Act is a federal law that was created in 1970 to curtail organized crime in the United States. Many states, including New York, have adopted state RICO laws, but obviously on GH, the FBI would be enforcing the federal act.

The RICO Act includes 27 federal crimes and eight state crimes that fall under the umbrella of “racketeering.” These can include embezzlement, drug trafficking, money laundering, gambling, robbery, murder, and terrorism. If found guilty of racketeering, the person can be sentenced to 20 years in prison per count and also must forfeit any money earned as part of the activity.

While the specific RICO charges the FBI have against Carly haven’t been explained on the soap, it’s likely that they stem from when she took over running Sonny’s businesses during the time period when he was presumed dead. 

Thankfully, John has said that the FBI isn’t interested in taking Carly down as long as Jason continues to cooperate. So hopefully, once Jason helps Anna and the FBI take down the Pikeman organization, the RICO charges against Carly will simply be dropped and never mentioned again. Stay tuned!

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