Appendix A - Detailed Information about the Sample

Summary

Eight specific federal offenses were chosen by Wheeler, Weisburd, and Bode (1988) for inclusion in the sample used in the Yale study of white-collar offenders that is the basis for the sample used in this book (see Table A.1). They are: securities fraud, antitrust violations, bribery, bank embezzlement, postal and wire fraud, false claims and statements, credit and lending institution fraud, and tax fraud. The nature of the actual offenses – which we refer to as the criterion offenses – included in each category are briefly described below. These descriptions are based on the second chapter of Weisburd et al. (1991), which provides more detailed descriptions and numerous examples of each offense.

The antitrust statute prohibits all contacts, conspiracies, and combinations in restraint of trade, and it also prohibits monopolies and attempts to monopolize. Most of the antitrust offenses in the sample fall into the former category. Several antitrust conspiracies lasted fifteen years or more, and almost all continued more than a year. Most antitrust cases involve a number of conspirators, including both individuals and organizations. They often have many victims who may be unaware that they have been victimized. Of the eight offense categories in the sample, antitrust cases have the highest average amounts of illegal gain and the most victims.