White-collar crimes come with a price

White-collar crimes deal almost exclusively with money and finances. Reasonable people could draw the conclusion that these alleged acts remain those of the well-to-do. Statistics from the Justice Department suggest otherwise. Not only have convictions have increased for any number of types of fraud, multiple agencies of the federal government have also pursued cases that many would not consider profitable.

Fraud tops the list

The scope of white-collar crime covers many areas, but fraud comprised almost all of the convictions for March 2022 in U.S. District Courts. The greatest increases occurred in areas unrelated to the dough. “Mail Fraud – Fraud and swindles” and “Fraud by wire, radio, or television” had the highest increase over the past one and five years, respectively.

Not surprisingly, agencies that have prosecuted these include others than the usual suspects. The Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and Postal Service accounted for almost one-third of the convictions. The data indicate that California residents remain on better-than-average behavior compared with the judicial districts of Washington, D.C. and Rhode Island.

Though perhaps broad in terms of type, white-collar crimes continue to remain stereotyped as costly endeavors undertaken by a certain class. Three percent of federal prosecutions are for white-collar crimes; California lost $400.9 million in 2020 to fraud. The typical white-collar criminal is a married male between 30 and 40 who has earned a bachelor’s degree.

A complete defense

Behind every statistic lies a story. White-collar convictions require proof of the elements of the crime by the prosecution. An attorney with years of experience in criminal defense of white-collar crimes can offer guidance.