The drop in white collar crime prosecutions, and Justice Department priorities

Since 9/11, the Department of Justice has redirected funding and energy toward prosecuting terrorism cases, as well as immigration and national security issues. But under the Trump administration, overall prosecutions of white collar cases are lower than they’ve been in decades.

Prosecuting a federal white collar case is challenging, timely, and resource-intensive. And the other side usually has effective counsel -- wealthy clients can afford the best attorneys, who won’t plead, and make prosecutors work for a conviction.