A witness set to testify in a trial alleging illegal drug and gun smuggling was dead. In late 1986, 27-year-old Steven Carr collapsed outside of a home in Los Angeles from a suspected drug overdose. A source claimed he had been fearful of being killed by the CIA. Carr had been slated to speak to a Senate investigation investigating the Iran-Contra arms sales scandal, in which the U.S. government had continued to illegally fund the Contras, the common name for various guerrilla groups supported by the CIA to overthrow the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. He was also set to testify as to his knowledge of the rebel groups engaging in illicit activities. This civil lawsuit, which had begun earlier that year, invoked the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act and accused 29 individuals of being part of a longstanding conspiracy involving drugs, guns, and assassinations. The roots of this case began with a crime perpetrated on an offshoot Contra group at an event attended by journalists. The intended target was a Contra leader who steadfastly refused to accede to the demands of the CIA.