Bank Fraud, Conspiracy, Credit Card Fraud, Embezzlement, Federal Crime, Fraud, Health Care Fraud, Mail Fraud, Southern District of Florida, Tax Evasion, White Collar Crime, Wire Fraud

National White Collar Prosecutions Fall to Lowest Level in 20 Years

According to TRAC, Syracuse University, “Current prosecution levels represent the lowest number of white collar prosecutions in more than 20 years. Government case-by-case records, updated through April 2018, indicate a total of 3,249 new white collar crime prosecutions were brought during the first seven months of FY 2018. If this level of activity continues at the same pace, the annual total of prosecutions will be 5,570 for this fiscal year – a decline from last year.”

Although the nation-wide trend is showing a decline in federal white collar criminal cases, the number of cases in the Southern District of Florida over the last 20 years has drastically increased.  So far in FY 2018, the Southern District of Florida (Miami Division) is ranked as the second most active federal district in the country for white collar prosecutions – a year ago it was ranked third; 5 years ago it was ranked fourth; 10 years ago it was ranked second; and 20 years ago it was ranked eighteenth.  Judge Marcia G. Cooke in the Southern District of Florida (Miami) ranked first out of about 680 federal District Court judges with the largest number (14) of new white collar crime cases in April 2018.

The top 10 lead charges in the prosecutions of white collar crime matters filed in all U.S. District Courts during April 2018 are:

  1. 18 U.S.C. 1343 – Wire Fraud
  2. 18 U.S.C. 1349 – Mail Fraud – Attempt and Conspiracy
  3. 18 U.S.C. 1344 – Bank Fraud
  4. 18 U.S.C. 1029 – Credit Card Fraud
  5. 18 U.S.C. 641 – Embezzlement of Government Money or Property
  6. 18 U.S.C. 1341 – Mail Fraud
  7. 26 U.S.C. 7206 – Fraud and False Statements
  8. 18 U.S.C. 371 – Conspiracy
  9. 18 U.S.C. 1347 – Health Care Fraud
  10. 26 U.S.C. 7201 – Tax Evasion – Attempt

Read the full report here: White Collar Crime Prosecutions for April 2018