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The number of federal white collar prosecutions are continuing a long-term downward trend, according to a report released Monday, which says such prosecutions have dropped by more than 50% in the last 10-year period.
The report from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse says that during the first nine months of fiscal year 2021, the federal government reported 3,545 new white collar crime prosecutions. If that trend continues, TRAC estimates a total of 4,727 for the end of the year.
The 2021 estimate is up by 11% over the numbers for the past fiscal year — a year that TRAC says saw temporarily depressed prosecution levels due to the COVID-19 pandemic — but overall, the data says white collar prosecutions are continuing a long-term downward slide.
Offenses previously classified as white collar crimes by TRAC include federal procurement fraud, federal program fraud, tax fraud, arson for profit, insurance fraud, financial institution fraud, bankruptcy fraud, advance fee schemes, consumer fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud, antitrust violations, computer fraud, health care fraud, intellectual property violations, corporate fraud and identity theft, among others.
According to the report, the fiscal year 2021 estimate is down by 24.4% compared to five years ago when there were 6,253 white collar prosecutions. The 2021 estimate is also down 53.5% from 2011 levels and a decrease of 50.3% compared to the 9,507 prosecutions reported in 2001.
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