The deep criminal defense team at the St. Louis law firm of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry has more than an academic knowledge of government strategies applicable to federal white collar criminal investigations. Indeed, we have handled many hundreds of corporate crime-linked cases.
There are certain consistencies – core realities, if you will – that commonly feature in federal white collar probes. We note on our website that those include “a wealth of resources” and a prosecutorial drive to charge heavily and seek notably harsh criminal sanctions for alleged wrongdoing. Government task forces have deep pockets that enable aggressive and enduring investigations. Prosecutors routinely “seize upon any and every shred of evidence to build their case and win a conviction.”
That focus on being aggressive concerning corporate malfeasance was spotlighted and expanded upon recently in comments delivered by a U.S. Department of Justice principal.
Deputy Attorney General Rob Rosenstein wants the public to know that his agency will be looking more closely than ever before at so-called “executive accountability” in future white collar crime probes. The DOJ’s stated emphasis will now be more on identifying and punishing company individuals – and not just the entity itself – going forward.
The DOJ expects targeted companies to cooperate. As a media report on the subject matter notes, leniency will be on the table for those that “develop evidence against their employees and turn over possible suspects.” Those that don’t do that can expect truly stringent outcomes.
Some of what Rosenstein details is new, but several inside commentators responding to his comments contend that what is painted as major changes really spells “minor tweaks to policies that are already in place.”
One way or the other, the bottom line is apparent: Federal law enforcers are notably serious about corporate crime and will commit plenary resources to investigating and punishing actions they charge as being unlawful.
Questions or concerns regarding a white collar criminal accusation or probe can be directed to an experienced criminal defense law firm.