Bourree Lam, THE ATLANTIC
WASHINGTON (The Atlantic) — On Wednesday, the Justice Department issued a new policy regarding the prosecution of white-collar criminals. Amid post-recession complaints from the public that the Wall Street executives responsible for the crash escaped criminal charges and jail time—and that in these seven years Wall Street hasn’t cleaned up its act—the new policy prioritizes the prosecution of executives involved in fraud. In other words: More corporate wrongdoing cases will hold individuals accountable.
This move is being called Loretta Lynch’s first major policy announcement since she took office as U.S. Attorney General in April. The new policy was detailed in a memo sent to attorneys at the Justice Department and the FBI on Wednesday. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates will be speaking more on the new policy during her speech at New York University’s School of Law today.
In the memo, Yates writes: “Fighting corporate fraud and other misconduct is a top priority of the Department of Justice. Our nation’s economy depends on effective enforcement of the civil and criminal laws that protect our financial system and, by extension, all our citizens.”
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