The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was enacted by Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 91–452 84 Stat. 922 enacted October 15 1970) and is codified at 18 U.S.C. ch. 96 as 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961–1968. This article primarily covers the federal criminal statute but since 1972 33 U.S. states and territories have adopted state RICO laws which although similar cover additional state crimes and may differ from the federal law and each other in several respects.