45 alleged gang members charged in Minneapolis crackdown by US Attorney's Office.

The US Attorney's Office has charged 45 alleged members and associates of two "violent street gangs" in Minneapolis as part of a crackdown on crime in the city. The members of the Highs and the Bloods were arrested in the past 48 hours, and indictments allege that they participated in a "brutal and unrelenting trail of violence over the course of years." The crackdown was made possible by the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which allows federal authorities to prosecute a large number of gang members at once. If convicted, the defendants face up to life in prison for racketeering conspiracy involving acts of murder, using a firearm to commit murder, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.