The 8.157 RICO-Pattern of Racketeering Activity (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1961(5)) is a federal statute that defines criminal activity associated with organized crime. This statute was created to help prosecute organized crime and to provide a broader scope of criminal liability against those involved in racketeering activity. The statute defines a pattern of racketeering activity as two or more acts of racketeering that are related to each other and that are connected to an enterprise. Racketeering activity is defined as any act or threat of violence; any act involving fraud, bribery, extortion, or embezzlement; or any other criminal act that is chargeable under state or federal law. Under the 8.157 RICO-Pattern of Racketeering Activity, there are four different types of criminal activity that can constitute a pattern of racketeering activity: (1) a continuous pattern of racketeering activity; (2) a closed-ended pattern of racketeering activity; (3) an open-ended pattern of racketeering activity; and (4) a related pattern of racketeering activity. A continuous pattern of racketeering activity is defined as two or more related acts of racketeering activity that have been committed in close temporal proximity to each other. A closed-ended pattern of racketeering activity is defined as two or more related acts of racketeering activity that have been committed over a period of time with a beginning and an end. An open-ended pattern of racketeering activity is defined as two or more related acts of racketeering activity that have been committed in close temporal proximity but with no specified beginning or end. A related pattern of racketeering activity is defined as two or more related acts of racketeering activity that have been committed over a period of time, but which are not necessarily connected temporally.