The Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act is a law in the U.S. state of Georgia that makes a form of racketeering a felony . Originally passed on March 20, 1980, it is known for being broader than the corresponding federal law , such as not requiring a monetary profit to have been made via the action for it to be a crime.
20-466: It has been used in several high-profile prosecutions, including in the 2009 Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal , against Donald Trump and others for attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Georgia , and against Young Thug and other YSL Records members . The Georgia act was based on the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970, but the Georgia act
40-575: A crime a reelection campaign by the holder of public office in which 2 or more similar or interrelated predicate offenses specified in the act are committed." The 2023 election racketeering prosecution of Donald Trump and others alleges a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Georgia . Also in 2023, RICO charges were used against 61 members of the Stop Cop City protest movement. Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal Several teachers and principals in
60-620: A fourth time in the upcoming film Wrong Answer , based on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. The Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal was an inspiration for Ranked , a musical about academic pressure in school. Kyle Holmes (book) and David Taylor Gomes (music & lyrics) cite the scandal as one of their main inspirations for a storyline that featured adults cheating on behalf of students. The show opened at Granite Bay High School three weeks after Operation Varsity Blues charges were made public. The timing of
80-587: A married couple were charged under the Georgia RICO Act for providing illegal, unlicensed dental services and fraudulently billing insurance companies. In 2022, several people involved with YSL Records including Young Thug and Gunna were indicted for allegedly running the music label as a criminal street gang . In a case argued by the state commissioner of labor, the Georgia Supreme Court held that "the [Georgia] RICO act includes as
100-533: A single year. An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) released in July 2011 indicated that 44 out of 56 schools cheated on the 2009 CRCT. One hundred and seventy-eight educators were implicated in correcting answers entered by students. Of these, 35 educators were indicted and all but 12 took plea deals; the remaining 12 went to trial. The size of the scandal has been described as one of
120-460: A writing component. Students received a report during the summer that tells them their scale score and their accuracy for all of the sections assessed on the CRCT. The scale score was used to determine if the student exceeds, meets, or does not meet state standards. If the student scores above an 850, he/she is considered to be exceeding the standards in that subject area. If the student's scale score
140-506: Is between 800-849 (inclusive), he/she is considered to be meeting the standards in that subject area. The state considers scores below 800 as not meeting standards. Students could have also determine their accuracy on any part of the test because their score reports show the number of questions they got right and the number of total questions that were administered. The highest score varies between subjects, but ranges from 850 to 980. In July 2011, an investigation uncovered that 178 teachers from
160-482: The Atlanta Public Schools (APS) district cheated on state-administered standardized tests in 2009. The scandal was exposed and the subsequent trial in 2014–2015 saw national attention. In 2009, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published analyses of Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) results which showed statistically unlikely test scores, including extraordinary gains or losses in
180-625: The A+ Education Reform Act of 2000, requires that all students from first to eighth grade take the CRCT in the content areas of reading, English/language arts, and mathematics. Students in grades three through eight are also assessed in science and social studies. The CRCT only assesses the content standards outlined in the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards which is the curriculum that Georgia teachers are required to teach. The CRCT
200-535: The CRCT to be promoted to the next grade. The state also included Lexile measures with scores for students in grades 3-8. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability. The CRCT was last used in the 2013-2014 school year. It was replaced by the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, which contains thought-provoking questions, norm-referenced items, online administration, and
220-601: The RICO Act was not unconstitutional. Its use became more routine in the late 1980s. While it was intended to be used against organized crime and street gangs, its scope soon expanded. In 2010, four members of the Final Exit Network were tried for involvement in an assisted suicide and evidence tampering. In 2013, 35 Atlanta Public Schools educators were indicted for racketeering in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal . This led to an eight-month trial,
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#1732791563674240-691: The act is a felony , which provides for a prison term of 5–20 years; a fine of three times the amount of money gained from the criminal activity, but no less than $ 25,000; or both. The Georgia RICO Act was passed in 1980. One of the first notable uses of the law was in 1983, when three members of the Dixie Mafia were prosecuted and found guilty in Monroe . Upon appeal, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled in Chancey v. State , 256 Ga. 415 (1986), that
260-501: The largest in United States education history. The scandal thrust the debate over using high-stakes testing to hold educators accountable, mandated by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act , into the national spotlight. Teachers who confessed to cheating blamed "inordinate pressure" to meet targets set by the district and said they faced severe consequences such as a negative evaluation or termination if they didn't. Prior to
280-465: The longest criminal trial in Georgia's history, in which 11 of the 12 defendants who went to trial were convicted, with the rest pleading guilty. In 2015, a former Georgia Aquarium employee pleaded guilty for repeatedly processing fraudulent refunds and stealing the money, as did three Cherokee County court reporters for illegally spacing their transcripts to increase the number of pages, and for billing for nonexistent pages and transcripts. In 2018,
300-530: The musical's debut in relation to the scandal was serendipitous, and earned the high school national attention. Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests The Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) were a set of tests administered at public schools in the state of Georgia that are designed to test the knowledge of first through eighth graders in reading, English/language arts (ELA), and mathematics , and third through eighth graders additionally in science and social studies. Georgia law, as amended by
320-595: The scandal, the APS had been lauded for making significant gains in standardized test scores. Between 2002 and 2009, eighth-graders' scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test jumped 14 points, the highest of any urban area. Superintendent Beverly Hall , who served from 1999 to 2010, was named Superintendent of the Year in 2009. The GBI's report said Hall "knew or should have known" about
340-403: The scandal. Hall's lawyer has denied she had any knowledge of cheating practices. In 2013, she was indicted in relation to her role in the matter. The trial began on September 29, 2014, presided over by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter. It was the longest criminal trial in Georgia history, lasting eight months. The lead prosecutor was Fani Willis . Before the end of the trial,
360-614: The superintendent at the center of the scandal, Beverly Hall, died of breast cancer, aged 68. On April 1, 2015, eleven of the twelve defendants were convicted on racketeering charges under the Georgia RICO Act . One teacher was found not guilty on all charges. Nine of the 11 educators convicted of racketeering appealed. Two of those nine went directly to the appeals court, lost, and reported for prison in October 2018. Ryan Coogler will work with Michael B. Jordan for
380-512: Was implemented in spring 2000. That year, summative, end-of-year assessments in reading, English/language arts, and mathematics were administered in grades four, six, and eight. Assessments in science and social studies (grades three through eight) were administered for the first time in spring 2002. Additionally, assessments in reading, English/language arts, and mathematics were administered in grades one, two, three, five, and seven in spring 2002. Students in grades 3, 5, and 8 were required to pass
400-425: Was written to be broader. While the federal act requires an extended pattern of crime by multiple individuals through a criminal enterprise, under the Georgia act only one individual may constitute a criminal enterprise. Additionally, the enterprise as a whole must commit only two interrelated crimes towards a common goal. The Georgia act also has a wider range of underlying crimes than the federal act. Violation of
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