S9 Ep 13: Who's Rico?

AJC journalists Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman introduce you to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and how it’s been used by Fulton prosecutors in recent years

Episode 13 of the Breakdown podcast, hosted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, titled "S9 Ep 13: Who's Rico?" was published on July 14, 2025 and runs 38 minutes.

July 14, 2025 ·38m · Breakdown

Summary

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act has been on the books for more than half a century, and Georgia’s version was enacted in 1980. The 13th episode of Season Nine of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast — “The Trump Grand Jury” — takes a deep look at RICO. The episode traces its origin as a prosecutorial weapon to take Mafia dons off the streets. It also looks at how RICO has been used in recent years against schoolteachers, a metro Atlanta sheriff and street gangs. Legal experts following the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigation into what happened here after the 2020 presidential election say that racketeering charges could ultimately be brought in this case. Episode 13 — “Who’s Rico?” — also looks at a key member of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s legal team: Don McGahn. McGahn is one of three lawyers hired by Graham who contends the U.S. Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause protects him from having to honor his out-of-state material witness subpoena and testify before the special grand jury. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting platform. You can also stream it above. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Description