Why go after a gang member when you can obliterate the entire gang? That had been Utah’s strategy since federal prosecutors in 2002 took on the King Mafia Disciples, a violent street gang organized by teens in juvenile detention.
Then, a year later, the prison gang Soldiers of Aryan Culture was also prosecuted in Utah under the federal RICO Act, which stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations.
In 2006, leaders of the Tiny Oriental Posse were taken down, and most recently, prosecutors targeted the Tongan Crip Gang with racketeering charges in 2010.