Venable partner Ed Wilson was quoted in a June 20, 2016 ACAMS moneylaundering.com article on the Supreme Court's recent Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) ruling. The Court struck down a lower court decision that made U.S. banks and corporations liable for damages under federal racketeering law for their activities abroad. In a 4-3 ruling, the justices held that in the absence of specific directions from Congress, RICO only applied to the foreign conduct of U.S. companies when it caused direct injury to the United States.
"The ongoing criminal prosecution by U.S. authorities of corrupt officials at the international football governing body FIFA could soon yield civil cases where this issue might come up," said Wilson. "We've now started a new litigation line on what domestic injury is."