In Perez v. United States (1971), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act, which, among other things, made “loan sharking” a federal crime. Rejecting Justice Potter Stewart’s dissenting view that this was a step toward the federalization of the criminal law, the Court held that while Alberto Perez’s activities may have been conducted locally, loan sharking contributed to organized, interstate crime and was therefore within the reach of the federal commerce power.
SEE ALSO: Commerce among the States
