skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Sen. Warren Reports "Rigged Justice" for Corporations

play audio
Play

Monday, February 8, 2016   

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A new report called "Rigged Justice" by the office of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren maintains the nation has a two-tiered justice system – one for the rich and powerful, and one for everyone else.

The study highlights 20 cases last year where the government caught big companies breaking the law – defrauding taxpayers, covering up deadly safety problems, stealing billions of dollars from consumers and clients – and let them off easy.

In remarks on the Senate floor last week, Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, called out Republican efforts to make cracking down on white-collar crime even harder.

"In the 20 cases I examined, just one executive went to jail for a measly three months, and that case involved 29 deaths," she pointed out.

Warren was referring to a former CEO of Massey Energy convicted of willfully violating safety standards after a West Virginia mine explosion.

The study found that corporate criminals routinely escape prosecution, and fines were a fraction of annual profits, with some structured as tax deductions.

Russell Mokhiber, editor of the Corporate Crime Reporter, has documented white-collar crime for the past three decades. He says this is the first time a U.S. senator has exposed how cases are handled by the Justice Department.

"If you and I engage in criminal wrongdoing, most likely we're going to jail,” he points out. “But if corporations engage in criminal wrongdoing, most likely they get something called deferred non-prosecution agreements. So, it's crime without accountability."

Mokhiber says the solution doesn't involve changing existing statutes –prosecutors just need to do their job and hold powerful criminals to the same standard of justice as anyone else who breaks the law.

"We have to find the political will to criminally prosecute some of the most powerful entities in our society,” he insists. “And then we'll begin deterring this kind of wrongdoing, saving lives, saving tens of millions of dollars and living in a more just society.”

Warren has promised to make the study an annual report card on the Justice Department.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Some 899 of 936 public comments on the plan for the proposed West Fork Dam, or 96%, opposed the West Fork Battle Creek Dam project, according to a tally by Wyofile. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A federal agency is requiring Wyoming to update cost estimates for a large proposed dam in Carbon County, which has been under feasibility studies …


Social Issues

play sound

This Saturday marks the International Day of Peace and the advocacy group Nonviolent Peaceforce is kicking off a series of family-friendly events in M…

Environment

play sound

Latino Conservation Week is in full swing, with 330 events across the U.S. and 90 in California alone. The 11th annual event runs through Sunday…


Nebraska is one of 10 states to confirmed abortion-related constitutional amendment measures on the ballot in November. (Alcorn Imagery/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Some ballot initiatives this year have taken more than voter signatures to get onto the ballot in Nebraska. They've already withstood major court …

Environment

play sound

Maine officials are stepping up land conservation projects as climate change continues to alter the state's terrain. New funding from the Land for …

Social Issues

play sound

A new study showed as Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind turbine and solar energy installations, clean energy workers often face …

play sound

Students enrolled at Wisconsin's technical colleges this fall might take a course where artificial intelligence is the star of the classroom…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021