According to a recent CBS news article, the federal government is on track to prosecute the lowest number of white-collar crime cases in at least 33 years. White-collar crime prosecutions fell 8.5% from 2018 to 2019, and over the past eight years, have fallen by 50%. For the federal fiscal year 2019, white-collar crime cases comprised only three percent of the over 170,000 total federal criminal prosecutions. In contrast, during the 1980s and 1990s, the federal government regularly filed over 10,000 white-collar crime prosecutions per year.
Although the number of federal white-collar crime cases has fallen precipitously during the fiscal year 2017, the decline started during the 2012 – 2016 period. White-collar criminal prosecutions peaked in 2011 and have been dropping ever since. When looking at punishments levied in white-collar crime cases, however, fines against corporations dropped significantly beginning in the latter half of 2017. While some say that corporate wrongdoing may have decreased, others believe that it is more likely that there is simply less enforcement of the criminal acts that exist.
Another consideration is that many complex white-collar crime investigations may be drawn out for years before federal prosecutors file formal criminal charges. These delays often result in prosecutions that do not occur until several years have passed or until a specific administration has left office. Therefore, current prosecution rates do not always reflect the priorities of the current administration.
Relative to the populations of their states, federal prosecutors in Rhode Island, New York City, and Miami pursued more white-collar crimes than in other jurisdictions. The top white-collar criminal charges that federal prosecutors filed were wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud, and identity theft.
An experienced Texas criminal defense attorney can help you build a strong defense against any criminal charges. We are here to evaluate the facts surrounding your case and explore your options. We then can help you make the decisions that are mostly like to be beneficial to you based on your situation. Contact Peek Law Group at (512) 359-3362 today and see how we can help.