MAIN Home Life Home Legal Guide White Collar Crime

In many Western industrialized countries, laws are enacted to.protect the public from being victimized by unscrupulous business or corrupt political practices.

In short, white collar crime defines when behavior crosses the line from questionable ethics into outright illegality. Sometimes, accusations of white collar crime are often difficult to prove because the line between ethics violations and outright criminal acts is sometimes very fine.

For example, accountants who arrange the numbers to make a financially weak company seem healthy are seldom charged with criminal activity (that is, if the company can fix the problem and avoid bankruptcy.)

If a business fails, however, and an audit reveals a major cover-up that has resulted in monetary damage to partners or clients, the people who were involved would most likely face criminal charges.

More clear-cut cases of white collar crime include forgery and counterfeiting, embezzlement, and fraud. The list also encompasses crimes against the general public and consumers, such as credit card fraud, and telemarketing fraud,

Bribery, kickbacks, political corruption ,tax evasion, money laundering, economic espionage, and trade secret theft are also commonly placed under the heading of white collar crime. Like those engaged in any other criminal activity, accused white collar criminals usually stand trial in court. Depending on the verdict, prison senteces for white collar criime typically average 1-2 years.

Well publicized cases, like Martha Stewart's insider trading trial, or corporate whistleblowing that uncovered the Enron scandal, have increased awareness and launched white collar crime into the mainstream media. More recently, citizens outraged by the ethics (or the lack thereof) of major financial and banking institutions has resulted in Occupy Wall Street movements worldwide.

Whether you find yourself accused of having committed a white collar crime, or think you have been the target of fraud or other illegal activity, you'll need to find a lawyer who is familiar with the specific laws governing white collar crime.

Around the Web, find out more about white collar crime, including historic or well-known cases, and the types of punishment meted out to convicted offenders ....

More about white collar crime around the Web:

FBI White - Collar Crime - With information and resources for how to avoid being cheated, what to do and how to report the criminals if you get caught in a white collar scam, with related news updates and overviews of interesting cases.

White-collar crime Wikipedia - Overview of the basics with related history, facts and information on what constitutes white collar crimes as opposed to blue collar or 'street' crimes, and a discussion on the different treatment white collar crimes received under the law.

White Collar Crimes Overview - From Justia.com this site has an easy to understand collection of white collar crimes resources with a selection of articles, related web resources, and the latest US laws relating to white collar crime including copyright, commerce and trade, IRS statutes, and criminal procedures.

White Collar Crime - Cornell University Law School - Clear overview of what the term white collar crime means and a long list of links to US Federal materials, laws, and judicial decisions.

White Collar Crime - US Department of Justice multimedia presentation on investigating and prosecuting white collar criminals and the role of corporate ethics in America.

also see -> Internet Thieves Are Phishing - Don't Get Scammed

The information provided on these pages is intended as reference
only and does not constitute professional legal advice.