White Collar Crime Prosecutions for March 2025
The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during March 2025 the government reported 306 new white collar crime prosecutions. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is down 16.6 percent over the previous month.
The comparisons of the number of defendants charged with white collar crime-related offenses are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (see Table 1).
When monthly 2025 prosecutions of this type are compared with those of the same period in the previous year, the number of filings was down (-9.1%). Prosecutions over the past year are still much lower than they were five years ago. Overall, the data show that prosecutions of this type are down 25.4 percent from levels reported in 2020.
The decrease from the levels five years ago in white collar crime prosecutions for these matters is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of white collar crime prosecutions of this type recorded on a month-to-month basis. Where a prosecution was initially filed in U.S. Magistrate Court and then transferred to the U.S. District Court, the magistrate filing date was used since this provides an earlier indicator of actual trends. The superimposed line on the bars plots the six-month moving average so that natural fluctuations are smoothed out. The one and five-year rates of change in Table 1 and in the sections that follow are all based upon this six-month moving average. To view trends year-by-year rather than month-by-month, see TRAC's annual report series for a broader picture.
Figure 1. Monthly Trends in White Collar Crime Prosecutions
Within the broad category of white collar crime, cases were classified by prosecutors into more specific types.
Case types within white collar crime are
• Federal Procurement Fraud • Federal Program Fraud • Tax Fraud • Arson for Profit • Other Insurance Fraud • Financial Institution Fraud • Bankruptcy Fraud • Advance Fee Schemes • Other Fraud Against Businesses • Consumer Fraud • Securities Fraud • Commodities Fraud • Other Investment Fraud • Antitrust Violations - Other • Computer Fraud • Health Care Fraud • Fraud Against Insurance Providers • Intellectual Property Violations • Insider Fraud Against Insurance Providers • MEWA (Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements) Fraud/MET • Antitrust Violations - Airlines • Antitrust Violations - Banking • Antitrust Violations - Defense Procurement • Antitrust Violations - Extraterritorial Application Of • Antitrust Violations - Finance Markets, Other than Banking • Telemarketing Fraud • Corporate Fraud • Identity Theft • Aggravated Identity Theft • Other White Collar Crime/Fraud The largest number of prosecutions of these matters in March 2025 was for "Fraud-Other", accounting for 28.4 percent of prosecutions. Prosecutions were also filed for "Fraud-Federal Program" (16%), "Fraud-Financial Institution" (15.4%), "Fraud-Identity Theft-Other" (6.9%), "Fraud-Computer" (6.5%), "Fraud-Tax" (5.9%), "Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated" (5.2%), "Fraud-Other Business" (3.6%), "Fraud-Health Care" (3.3%). See Figure 2.
The lead investigative agency for white collar crime prosecutions in March 2025 was FBI accounting for 32 percent of prosecutions referred. Other agencies with substantial numbers of white collar crime referrals were: DHS (20% ), IRS (8%), SecServ (8%), Labor (5%). See Figure 3.
White Collar Crime Prosecutions in U.S. Magistrate Courts
Top Ranked Lead Charges
In March 2025, 50 defendants in white collar crime cases for these matters were filed in U.S. Magistrate Courts. These courts handle less serious misdemeanor cases, including what are called "petty offenses." In addition, complaints are sometimes filed in the magistrate courts before an indictment or information is entered. In these cases, the matter starts in the magistrate courts and later moves to the district court where subsequent proceedings take place.
In the magistrate courts in March the most frequently cited lead charge was Title 18 U.S.C Section 1349 involving "Mail Fraud - Attempt and Conspiracy". This was the lead charge for 16 percent of all magistrate filings in March.
Other frequently prosecuted lead charges include: "42 USC 408 - Fed Old Age, Survivors & Disab Insur -Penalties" (12%), "18 USC 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television" (10%).
White Collar Crime Prosecutions in U.S. District Courts
In March 2025, 256 defendants in new cases for these matters were charged in the U.S. District Courts. In addition during March there were an additional 27 defendants whose cases moved from the magistrate courts to the U.S. district courts after an indictment or information was filed. The sections which follow cover both sets of cases and therefore cover all matters filed in district court during March.
Top Ranked Lead Charges
Table 2 shows the top lead charges recorded in the prosecutions of white collar crime matters filed in U.S. District Court during March 2025.
Lead Charge Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago 18 USC 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television 99 1 1 1 More 18 USC 1344 - Bank Fraud 30 2 3 3 More 18 USC 1349 - Mail Fraud - Attempt and Conspiracy 17 3 2 2 More 18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US 14 4 5 4 More 18 USC 1028 - Fraud and related activity - id documents 11 5 6 11 More 18 USC 1029 - Fraud and related activity - access devices 9 6 11 5 More 26 USC 7206 - Fraud and False statements 8 7 11 10 More 18 USC 641 - Public money, property or records 7 8 4 5 More 18 USC 1347 - Health Care Fraud 7 8 13 7 More 18 USC 1028A - Aggravated Identity Theft 6 10 7 9 More 18 USC 1030 - Fraud and related activity - computers 6 10 15 16 More 18 USC 1341 - Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles 6 10 7 8 More Table 2. Top Charges Filed
"Fraud by wire, radio, or television" (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1343) was the most frequent recorded lead charge. "Fraud by wire, radio, or television" (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1343) was ranked 1 a year ago, while it was ranked 1 five years ago.
Ranked 2nd in frequency was the lead charge "Bank Fraud" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1344. "Bank Fraud" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1344 was ranked 3 a year ago, while it was ranked 3 five years ago.
Ranked 3rd was "Mail Fraud - Attempt and Conspiracy" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1349. "Mail Fraud - Attempt and Conspiracy" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1349 was ranked 2 a year ago, while it was ranked 2 five years ago.
Among these top ten lead charges, the one showing the greatest increase in prosecutions — up 50 percent — compared to one year ago was Title 18 U.S.C Section 1030 that involves " Fraud and related activity - computers ". This was the same statute that had the largest increase — 96.2 % — when compared with five years ago.
Again among the top ten lead charges, the one showing the sharpest decline in prosecutions compared to one year ago — down 38.1 percent — was " Public money, property or records " (Title 18 U.S.C Section 641 ). Compared to five years ago, the most significant decline in prosecutions — 65.1 percent — was for filings where the lead charge was " Health Care Fraud " (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1347 ).
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
In March 2025 the Justice Department's case-by-case records show that the government brought 101.4 white collar crime prosecutions for every ten million people in the United States.
Understandably, there is great variation in the number of white collar crime prosecutions that are filed in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts.
The districts registering the largest number of prosecutions of this type last month are shown in Table 3.
The Central District of California (Los Angeles) — with 17 prosecutions — was the most active during March 2025.
The Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta) ranked 2nd.
Southern District of New York (Manhattan) is now ranking 3rd.
Top Ranked District Judges
At any one time, there are about 680 federal District Court judges working in the United States. The judges recorded with the largest number of new white collar crime crime cases of this type during March 2025 are shown in Table 4.
Judge Count Rank Velez-Rive, Camille L. Puer Rico 7 1 More Ross, John Andrew Mo, E 4 2 More Thompson, Myron Herbert Ala, M 3 3 More Miller, Brian Stacy Ark, E 3 3 More Fischer, Dale S. Cal, C 3 3 More Barber, Thomas Patrick Fla, M 3 3 More Williamson, Karen M. N. J. 3 3 More Nugent, Donald C. Ohio, N 3 3 More Norris, Mark Saalfield, Sr. Tenn, W 3 3 More Pitman, Robert Texas, W 3 3 More Table 4. Top Ten Judges
A total of 5 out of the "top ten" judges were in districts which were in the top ten with the largest number of white collar crime filings , while the remaining 5 judges were from other districts.
Judge Camille L. Velez-Rive in the District of Puerto Rico ranked 1st with 7 defendants in white collar crime cases.
Judge John Andrew Ross in the Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) ranked 2nd with 4 defendants in white collar crime cases.
Judges Myron Herbert Thompson in the Middle District of Alabama (Montgomery), Brian Stacy Miller in the Eastern District of Arkansas (Little Rock), Dale S. Fischer in the Central District of California (Los Angeles), Thomas Patrick Barber in the Middle District of Florida (Tampa), Karen M. Williamson in the District of New Jersey, Donald C. Nugent in the Northern District of Ohio (Cleveland), Mark Saalfield Norris, Sr. in the Western District of Tennessee (Memphis) and Robert Pitman in the Western Dist ranked 3rd with 3 defendants in white collar crime cases.
Report Generated: May 14, 2025
