How do the indictments against Donald Trump involve New Jersey?

A golf club in New Jersey plays a central role in the indictments against former President Donald Trump.

A Georgia grand jury indicted the former president Monday for the fourth time on charges of stealing the state's electoral votes from President Joe Biden after the 2020 election. In the indictment, Trump and his allies are facing racketeering charges under the state Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

In the indictments against him, prosecutors allege that when he left the White House at the end of his presidency, Trump took boxes with him that contained classified documents. Many of those were discovered by investigators at The Mar-A-Lago Club in Florida, but some of the documents also later appeared in New Jersey, according to the indictment.

Full indictment: Read the 41-count alleged election fraud indictment against Donald Trump and others

Donald Trump indictment: The New Jersey connection?

At Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump showed to four people a “plan of attack” that he described as “highly confidential” and “secret,” prepared for him by the Department of Defense and a senior military official, according to court papers.

In the meeting, which was recorded in July 2021, Trump said, “As president, I could have declassified it. … Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret,” according to the indictment.

The four people he spoke with were a writer and a publisher related to an upcoming book about the former president and two of Trump's staff members.

About a month later, at the Bedminster club, Trump showed a member of his political action committee a classified map related to a military operation. This person also didn’t have security clearance, and Trump admitted that he shouldn’t be showing the map.

Trump commented during that session that a military operation in another country, unnamed in the documents, “was not going well,” according to the indictment.

What's next for Trump: Donald Trump indicted on 2020 election fraud charges in Georgia

Classified documents stored at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster

The classified documents that Trump stored in boxes included information that “could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods,” according to indictments against him.

Those include:

• Information “regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries.”

• U.S. nuclear programs.

• “Potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack.”

• "Possible retaliation plans in response to a foreign attack.”

What is an indictment?

An indictment is a formal charging document used when it’s believed a person has committed a crime. It contains information on the charges being filed, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

An indictment means a grand jury has decided there’s "more likely than not" enough evidence – based on testimony – to move forward with charging a person, David Weinstein, a former federal and state prosecutor, previously told USA TODAY.

What is the RICO Act?

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a federal law that was passed in 1970 to combat organized crime. RICO makes it illegal for individuals to participate in a "pattern of racketeering activity" through an "enterprise," according to the Office of Justice Programs

A "pattern of racketeering activity" is defined as two or more acts of racketeering committed within a 10-year period. A "racketeering activity" is one of many criminal offenses, including:

• Bribery

• Extortion

• Fraud

• Money laundering

• Murder

• Racketeering

• Theft

• Wire fraud

An "enterprise" is any group of people that is involved in a criminal activity. This could be a gang, a corporation, or even a government agency.

If someone is convicted of violating RICO, they can face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. They may also be ordered to forfeit any assets that were obtained through their criminal activity.

RICO charges are often used to prosecute organized crime groups, but they can also be used to prosecute other types of criminal organizations, such as white-collar crime rings and public corruption schemes.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Trump racketeering: Indictments against former president involve NJ