Tex. Penal Code § 72.01 · Chapter 72. RACKETEERING AND UNLAWFUL DEBT COLLECTION
DEFINITIONS.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
In this chapter:
(1) "Enterprise" has the meaning assigned by Section 140B.001, Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
(2) "Money" means funds as defined by Section 34.01.
(3) "Pattern of racketeering" means engaging in at least two incidents of racketeering conduct that have the same or similar intents, results, accomplices, victims, or methods of commission or that otherwise are interrelated by distinguishing characteristics and are not isolated incidents, the last of which occurred not later than the fifth anniversary of the date of a previous incident of racketeering conduct.
(4) "Pecuniary value" means:
(A) anything of value in the form of money, a negotiable instrument, or a commercial interest or anything else the primary significance of which is economic advantage; or
(B) any other property or service that has a value in excess of $100.
(5) "Racketeering" means to commit, to attempt to commit, to conspire to commit, or to solicit, coerce, or intimidate another person to commit:
(A) a felony offense under The Securities Act (Title 12, Government Code);
(B) an offense under Section 20.03 (kidnapping);
(C) an offense under Section 20.04 (aggravated kidnapping);
(D) an offense under Section 20.07 (operation of stash house);
(E) a felony offense under Chapter 37 (perjury and other falsification);
(F) a felony offense under Section 38.03 (resisting arrest, search, or transportation);
(G) a felony offense under Section 38.05 (hindering apprehension or prosecution);
(H) a felony offense under Chapter 43 (public indecency); or
(I) an offense under Section 71.02 (engaging in organized criminal activity).
(6) "Real property" has the meaning assigned by Section 140B.001, Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
(7) "Unlawful debt" means any money or other thing of value constituting principal or interest of a debt that is wholly or partly legally unenforceable in this state because the debt was incurred or contracted:
(A) in violation of:
(i) the Texas Racing Act (Subtitle A-1, Title 13, Occupations Code, and Article 179e, Revised Civil Statutes);
(ii) Subtitle A, Title 4, Finance Code, or Section 11, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, relating to interest and usury, if the usurious rate is at least twice the enforceable rate; or
(iii) Chapter 47, relating to gambling; or
(B) in gambling activity in violation of federal law or in the business of lending money at a rate usurious under state law if the usurious rate is at least twice the enforceable rate.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 885 (H.B. 4635), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2023.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.72.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 04ed408e4590f236d34251e4e078198adfbb081145ce841915ebeb8bb2282113
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
The Texas Constitution
Civil Practice and Remedies Code
Occupations Code
Penal Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 20.03KIDNAPPING.Printed as Section 20.03
- Tex. Penal Code § 20.04AGGRAVATED KIDNAPPING.Printed as Section 20.04
- Tex. Penal Code § 20.07OPERATION OF STASH HOUSE.Printed as Section 20.07
- Tex. Penal Code § 34.01DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 34.01
- Tex. Penal Code ch. 37PERJURY AND OTHER FALSIFICATIONPrinted as Chapter 37
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.03RESISTING ARREST, SEARCH, OR TRANSPORTATION.Printed as Section 38.03
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.05HINDERING APPREHENSION OR PROSECUTION.Printed as Section 38.05
- Tex. Penal Code ch. 43PUBLIC INDECENCYPrinted as Chapter 43
- Tex. Penal Code ch. 47GAMBLINGPrinted as Chapter 47
- Tex. Penal Code § 71.02ENGAGING IN ORGANIZED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.Printed as Section 71.02
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.