(725 ILCS 215/2) (from Ch. 38, par. 1702)
Sec. 2.
(a) County grand juries and State's Attorneys have always had
and
shall continue to have primary responsibility for investigating, indicting,
and prosecuting persons who violate the criminal laws of the State of
Illinois. However, in recent years organized terrorist activity directed
against innocent civilians and certain criminal enterprises have
developed that require investigation, indictment, and prosecution on a
statewide or multicounty level. The criminal enterprises exist
as a result of the
allure of profitability present in narcotic activity, the unlawful sale and
transfer of firearms, and streetgang related felonies and organized terrorist
activity is supported by the contribution of money and expert assistance from
geographically diverse sources. In
order to shut off the life blood of terrorism and
weaken or eliminate the criminal enterprises, assets, and
property
used to further these offenses must be frozen, and any profit must be
removed. State
statutes exist that can accomplish that goal. Among them are the offense of
money laundering, violations
of Article 29D of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, the
Narcotics Profit Forfeiture Act, and gunrunning. Local prosecutors need
investigative personnel and specialized training to attack and eliminate these
profits. In light of the transitory and complex nature of conduct that
constitutes these criminal activities, the many diverse property interests that
may be used, acquired directly or indirectly as a result of these criminal
activities, and the many places that illegally obtained property may be
located, it is the purpose of this Act to create a limited, multicounty
Statewide Grand Jury with authority to investigate, indict, and prosecute:
narcotic activity, including cannabis and controlled substance trafficking,
narcotics racketeering, money laundering, violations of the Cannabis
and
Controlled Substances Tax Act, and violations of Article 29D of the Criminal
Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012; the unlawful sale and transfer of firearms;
gunrunning; and streetgang related felonies.
(b) A Statewide Grand Jury may also investigate, indict, and prosecute
violations facilitated by the use of a computer of any of
the
following offenses: indecent solicitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a
child, soliciting for a juvenile prostitute, keeping a place of juvenile
prostitution, juvenile pimping, child pornography, aggravated child pornography, or promoting juvenile prostitution except as described in subdivision (a)(4) of Section 11-14.4 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012.
(c) A Statewide Grand Jury may also investigate, indict, and prosecute violations of organized retail crime. (Source: P.A. 101-593, eff. 12-4-19; 102-757, eff. 5-13-22.)
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