Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday said the Department of Justice will use the Hobbs Act to prosecute any rioters in Los Angeles who have vandalized businesses.

Congress passed the Hobbs Act in 1946 to combat racketeering in disputes by organized labor with management, which were frequent at the time. The Supreme Court ruled in U.S. v. Culbert in 1978 that the Hobbs Act was not limited to acts of racketeering but included robbery and extortion traditionally addressed through state laws.

Bondi said a person convicted of robbery under the Hobbs Act faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

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