White Collar Crime Prosecutions for August 2024
The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during August 2024 the government reported 355 new white collar crime prosecutions. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is up 5 percent over the previous month.
The comparisons of the number of defendants charged with white collar crime-related offenses are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (see Table 1).
When monthly 2024 prosecutions of this type are compared with those of the same period in the previous year, the number of filings was up (2.7%). Prosecutions over the past year are still much lower than they were five years ago. Overall, the data show that prosecutions of this type are down 23.2 percent from levels reported in 2019.
The decrease from the levels five years ago in white collar crime prosecutions for these matters is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of white collar crime prosecutions of this type recorded on a month-to-month basis. Where a prosecution was initially filed in U.S. Magistrate Court and then transferred to the U.S. District Court, the magistrate filing date was used since this provides an earlier indicator of actual trends. The superimposed line on the bars plots the six-month moving average so that natural fluctuations are smoothed out. The one and five-year rates of change in Table 1 and in the sections that follow are all based upon this six-month moving average. To view trends year-by-year rather than month-by-month, see TRAC's annual report series for a broader picture.
Figure 1. Monthly Trends in White Collar Crime Prosecutions
Within the broad category of white collar crime, cases were classified by prosecutors into more specific types.
Case types within white collar crime are
• Federal Procurement Fraud • Federal Program Fraud • Tax Fraud • Arson for Profit • Other Insurance Fraud • Financial Institution Fraud • Bankruptcy Fraud • Advance Fee Schemes • Other Fraud Against Businesses • Consumer Fraud • Securities Fraud • Commodities Fraud • Other Investment Fraud • Antitrust Violations - Other • Computer Fraud • Health Care Fraud • Fraud Against Insurance Providers • Intellectual Property Violations • Insider Fraud Against Insurance Providers • MEWA (Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements) Fraud/MET • Antitrust Violations - Airlines • Antitrust Violations - Banking • Antitrust Violations - Defense Procurement • Antitrust Violations - Extraterritorial Application Of • Antitrust Violations - Finance Markets, Other than Banking • Telemarketing Fraud • Corporate Fraud • Identity Theft • Aggravated Identity Theft • Other White Collar Crime/Fraud The largest number of prosecutions of these matters in August 2024 was for "Fraud-Other", accounting for 30.1 percent of prosecutions. Prosecutions were also filed for "Fraud-Federal Program" (13.5%), "Fraud-Financial Institution" (10.1%), "Fraud-Tax" (8.2%), "Fraud-Health Care" (7.9%), "Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated" (5.4%), "Fraud-Other Business" (4.2%), "Antitrust-Other" (3.7%), "Fraud-Computer" (3.1%), "Fraud-Identity Theft-Other" (3.1%). See Figure 2.
The lead investigative agency for white collar crime prosecutions in August 2024 was FBI accounting for 33 percent of prosecutions referred. Other agencies with substantial numbers of white collar crime referrals were: IRS (16% ), DHS (11%), Postal (8%), HHS (8%). See Figure 3.
White Collar Crime Prosecutions in U.S. Magistrate Courts
Top Ranked Lead Charges
In August 2024, 42 defendants in white collar crime cases for these matters were filed in U.S. Magistrate Courts. These courts handle less serious misdemeanor cases, including what are called "petty offenses." In addition, complaints are sometimes filed in the magistrate courts before an indictment or information is entered. In these cases, the matter starts in the magistrate courts and later moves to the district court where subsequent proceedings take place.
In the magistrate courts in August the most frequently cited lead charge was Title 18 U.S.C Section 1001 involving "Fraud/false statements or entries generally". This was the lead charge for 21.4 percent of all magistrate filings in August.
Other frequently prosecuted lead charges include: "18 USC 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television" (14.3%).
White Collar Crime Prosecutions in U.S. District Courts
In August 2024, 313 defendants in new cases for these matters were charged in the U.S. District Courts. In addition during August there were an additional 21 defendants whose cases moved from the magistrate courts to the U.S. district courts after an indictment or information was filed. The sections which follow cover both sets of cases and therefore cover all matters filed in district court during August.
Top Ranked Lead Charges
Table 2 shows the top lead charges recorded in the prosecutions of white collar crime matters filed in U.S. District Court during August 2024.
Lead Charge Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago 18 USC 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television 108 1 1 1 More 18 USC 1349 - Mail Fraud - Attempt and Conspiracy 33 2 3 2 More 18 USC 1341 - Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles 29 3 8 8 More 18 USC 1344 - Bank Fraud 17 4 2 3 More 18 USC 1028A - Aggravated Identity Theft 10 6 15 9 More 26 USC 7201 - Attempt to evade or defeat tax 10 6 11 12 More 18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US 9 8 5 5 More 18 USC 1028 - Fraud and related activity - id documents 9 8 9 11 More 18 USC 641 - Public money, property or records 8 10 4 6 More 18 USC 1347 - Health Care Fraud 8 10 5 7 More Table 2. Top Charges Filed
"Fraud by wire, radio, or television" (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1343) was the most frequent recorded lead charge. "Fraud by wire, radio, or television" (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1343) was ranked 1 a year ago, while it was ranked 1 five years ago.
Ranked 2nd in frequency was the lead charge "Mail Fraud - Attempt and Conspiracy" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1349. "Mail Fraud - Attempt and Conspiracy" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1349 was ranked 3 a year ago, while it was ranked 2 five years ago.
Ranked 3rd was "Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1341. "Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1341 was ranked 8 a year ago, while it was ranked 8 five years ago.
Among these top ten lead charges, the one showing the greatest increase in prosecutions — up 273.3 percent — compared to one year ago was Title U.S.C Section that involves "Other US Code Section ". This was the same statute that had the largest increase — 211.1 % — when compared with five years ago.
Again among the top ten lead charges, the one showing the sharpest decline in prosecutions compared to one year ago — down 32.3 percent — was " Fraud and related activity - id documents " (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1028 ). This was the same statute that had the largest decrease — 46.2 % — when compared with five years ago.
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
In August 2024 the Justice Department's case-by-case records show that the government brought 120.3 white collar crime prosecutions for every ten million people in the United States.
Understandably, there is great variation in the per capita number of white collar crime prosecutions that are filed in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts.
The districts registering the largest number of prosecutions per capita for these matters last month are shown in Table 3. Districts must have at least 5 white collar crime prosecutions to receive a ranking.
Judicial District Percapita Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago D. C. 1,429 8 1 47 77 More Iowa, S 1,284 20 2 76 74 More Mo, E 741 18 3 27 23 More Ill, S 688 7 4 61 88 More Montana 641 6 5 38 43 More Ken, E 484 9 6 53 35 More Ala, N 397 10 7 22 23 More Fla, S 272 17 8 1 2 More Tenn, E 262 6 9 38 53 More N. Y., W 213 5 10 23 43 More Table 3. Top 10 Districts (per ten million people)
The District of Washington, D.C. (Washington) — with 1429 prosecutions as compared with 120.3 prosecutions per ten million population in the United States — was the most active during August 2024.
The Southern District of Iowa (Des Moines) ranked 2nd.
Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) is now ranking 3rd.
Recent entrants to the top 10 list were Northern District of Alabama (Birmingham), now ranked 7th , and Western District of New York (Buffalo) at 10th In the same order, these districts ranked 22nd and 23rd one year ago and 23rd and 43rd five years ago.
The federal judicial district which showed the greatest growth in the rate of white collar crime prosecutions compared to one year ago — 257.1 percent — was Southern District of Iowa (Des Moines). Compared to five years ago, the district with the largest growth — 300 percent — was Southern District of Illinois (East St. Louis).
In the last year, the judicial District Court recording the largest drop in the rate of white collar crime prosecutions — 7.7 percent — was Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington). This was the same district that had the largest increase — 50 percent — when compared with five years ago.
Top Ranked District Judges
At any one time, there are about 680 federal District Court judges working in the United States. The judges recorded with the largest number of new white collar crime crime cases of this type during August 2024 are shown in Table 4.
Judge Count Rank Caldwell, Karen K. Ken, E 6 1 More Haikala, Madeline H. Ala, N 5 2 More Liburdi, Michael Thomas Arizona 3 3 More Marshall, Denzil Price, Jr. Ark, E 3 3 More Selna, James V. Cal, C 3 3 More Mendez, John A. Cal, E 3 3 More Merryday, Steven Douglas Fla, M 3 3 More Barber, Thomas Patrick Fla, M 3 3 More Ruiz, Rodolfo Armando, II Fla, S 3 3 More Yandle, Staci Michelle Ill, S 3 3 More Ross, John Andrew Mo, E 3 3 More Jones, Bernard M. Okla, W 3 3 More Slomsky, Joel Harvey Penn, E 3 3 More Leeson, Joseph F., Jr. Penn, E 3 3 More Varlan, Thomas A. Tenn, E 3 3 More Corker, Clifton Leland Tenn, E 3 3 More Pittman, Mark Timothy Texas, N 3 3 More Table 4. Top Ten Judges
A total of 7 out of the "top ten" judges were in districts which were in the top ten with the largest number of white collar crime filings per capita, while the remaining 10 judges were from other districts. (Because of ties, there were a total of 17 judges in the "top ten" rankings.)
Judge Karen K. Caldwell in the Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington) ranked 1st with 6 defendants in white collar crime cases.
Judge Madeline H. Haikala in the Northern District of Alabama (Birmingham) ranked 2nd with 5 defendants in white collar crime cases.
Judges Michael Thomas Liburdi in the District of Arizona, Denzil Price Marshall, Jr. in the Eastern District of Arkansas (Little Rock), James V. Selna in the Central District of California (Los Angeles), John A. Mendez in the Eastern District of California (Sacramento), Steven Douglas Merryday in the Middle District of Florida (Tampa), Thomas Patrick Barber in the Middle District of Florida (Tampa), Rodolfo Armando Ruiz, II in the Southern District of Florida (Miami), Staci Michelle Yandle in the South ranked 3rd with 3 defendants in white collar crime cases.
Report Generated: September 30, 2024
