The Rise and Impact of White-Collar Crime
TLDR White-collar crime, including investment fraud and embezzlement, is a more lucrative and lower risk option for criminals compared to bank robbery. This type of crime, which often has diffuse victims, has been brought to light by investigative journalists and has led to the creation of federal regulations and consumer protections.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Bank robbery is a terrible way to make a living, as shown by a study that found the average take in the UK is about 31 grand, while in the US it's only about four grand.
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White-collar crime, such as investment fraud and embezzlement, is more lucrative and carries lower risk than bank robbery, making it a more appealing option for criminals.
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White-collar crimes include insider trading, securities fraud, antitrust violations, price fixing, bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, tax evasion, espionage, industrial espionage, selling secrets, environmental law violations, and covering up toxic waste.
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White-collar crimes often have victims who are diffuse and not directly harmed, but rather the harm is passed along to others.
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The first white-collar trial and resulting law in 15th century England was the Carrier's case, where a wool transporter was given wool to deliver but decided to keep it for himself, leading to the creation of a law outlawing this act.
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The Sherman Act and Clayton Antitrust Act were created to combat anti-competitive corporate measures, but have been largely unenforced and have allowed for practices like price discrimination and exclusive contracts to continue.
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White-collar crime was brought to light by investigative journalists, or "muck rakers," who exposed illegal activities in companies, leading to the creation of federal regulations and consumer protections, and the term "white-collar crime" was coined by criminologist E.H. Sutherland to highlight the bias in law enforcement and the courts towards working class crimes over crimes committed by the upper class.
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The impacts of modern white-collar crime include raising prices, cutting jobs, causing uncertainty in the stock market, and leading to financial ruin for many people, and the difficulty in detecting and prosecuting white-collar crime is a major challenge for law enforcement.
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White-collar criminals have historically been treated differently by judges, receiving lighter sentences, but recent harsh sentences are meant to make an example and send a message, although it is unclear if this is an effective deterrent, and the issue of financial restitution for victims remains a challenge.
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Different countries have different laws and customs when it comes to corruption and bribery, but American companies are expected to follow strict anti-corruption laws even if it is legal in the country they are operating in.
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Society & Culture