J.D. Jennifer S Taub Knihy

An elite crime spree is unfolding in America, where privileged perpetrators evade consequences. Selling loose cigarettes can lead to fatal choke-hold arrests, while the wealthy committing mail, wire, or bank fraud, embezzling pension funds, or bribing officials often escape unscathed. Even when high-profile criminals face conviction, such as for bribing their children’s college admissions, they typically serve minimal time in cushy "Club Fed" facilities. Corporate executives can thrive without accountability; for instance, Wells Fargo employees, under pressure, opened over three million unauthorized accounts, leading to penalties for customers. When CEO John Stumpf resigned, he walked away with a $134 million golden parachute. This is far from victimless crime. The book explores the tangible ways ordinary Americans suffer as the affluent exploit white-collar crime to amass wealth and influence. The same profiteers contributed to the mortgage crisis and the opioid epidemic, evading taxes and robbing communities of essential public funds. The narrative delves into the systemic failures that have allowed this culture to flourish, highlighting a troubling post-Enron landscape characterized by a lack of prosecutorial action and a growing sense of immunity for the wealthy.