Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine releases comprehensive report documenting widespread FBI abuse of National Security Letters (NSLs) and surveillance authorities. The investigation found FBI systematically circumvented legal requirements, collected intelligence on Americans without …
Glenn FineFBIDepartment of JusticeCongressNational Security Division+1 morefbi-surveillance-abuseinspector-general-reportconstitutional-violationnational-security-letterscongressional-oversight
Bush administration Justice Department fires seven U.S. attorneys in coordinated operation later determined to be politically motivated retaliation. Fired prosecutors included David Iglesias (New Mexico), Carol Lam (California), Daniel Bogden (Nevada), Paul Charlton (Arizona), Margaret Chiara …
Karl RoveDavid IglesiasCarol LamAlberto GonzalesBush Administration+1 moredoj-weaponizationattorney-firingskarl-rovepolitical-prosecutionsbush-administration+2 more
On October 23, 2006, former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced to 24 years and four months in federal prison for his role in the Enron fraud, representing one of the harshest sentences ever imposed on a corporate executive. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake also ordered Skilling to forfeit …
Jeffrey SkillingDepartment of JusticeSim Lakecorporate-fraudenroncriminal-prosecutionsecurities-fraudcorporate-accountability
Representative Bob Ney (R-OH) pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and making false statements in connection with the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, becoming the first member of Congress convicted in the case. Ney admitted to receiving gifts including golf trips to Scotland, expensive meals, and …
Bob NeyJack AbramoffHouse of RepresentativesDepartment of JusticeNeil Volz+1 morecorruptioncongressabramoffbriberylobbying+1 more
On May 25, 2006, a federal jury convicted Enron founder Kenneth Lay on all six counts of fraud and conspiracy, and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling on 19 of 28 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy. The verdicts marked a watershed moment in corporate accountability, holding top …
Kenneth LayJeffrey SkillingDepartment of Justicecorporate-fraudenroncriminal-prosecutionsecurities-fraudcorporate-accountability
The FBI ordered informant Craig Monteilh to infiltrate multiple large mosques in Orange County, California, in a dragnet surveillance operation that targeted entire Muslim communities rather than specific suspects. The operation exemplified the FBI’s post-9/11 practice of religious profiling …
FBICraig MonteilhMuslim communityDepartment of Justicefbi-abusesurveillancereligious-profilingcivil-libertiesinformants
On July 13, 2005, former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for orchestrating the largest corporate accounting fraud in American history. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones in Manhattan, represented one of the harshest penalties ever …
Bernard EbbersDepartment of Justicecorporate-fraudworldcomcriminal-prosecutionsecurities-fraudcorporate-accountability
On July 7, 2004, a federal grand jury indicted Enron founder and former CEO Kenneth Lay on 11 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements to banks. The indictment charged that Lay repeatedly lied to investors, employees, and federal regulators about Enron’s …
Kenneth LayJeffrey SkillingDepartment of Justicecorporate-fraudenronsecurities-fraudcriminal-prosecutionwhite-collar-crime
The Justice Department’s torture authorization memo represents the institutional culmination of WHIG’s constitutional crisis precedent establishment, demonstrating how systematic executive deception creates legal frameworks enabling executive immunity from constitutional constraints and …
John YooJay BybeeAlberto GonzalesWhite House Iraq GroupDepartment of Justice+5 morewhigconstitutional-crisis-precedentsexecutive-immunity-precedenttorture-authorizationrule-of-law-suspension+4 more
The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit on February 26, 2004, seeking to block Oracle Corporation’s proposed hostile acquisition of PeopleSoft, alleging that the merger would substantially reduce competition in the enterprise software market and result in higher prices, less …
Department of JusticeOraclePeopleSoftLarry Ellisonantitrustoraclecorporate-consolidationdojcompetition
On June 15, 2002, a federal jury convicted Arthur Andersen LLP of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of Enron-related documents. The verdict effectively destroyed one of the world’s most prestigious accounting firms, eliminating 85,000 jobs globally and marking the last time a …
Arthur AndersenDepartment of Justicecorporate-fraudenronobstruction-of-justicearthur-andersencorporate-accountability
On March 14, 2002, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of Arthur Andersen LLP on one count of obstruction of justice for destroying “literally tons of paper documents and other electronic information” related to the Enron collapse. The indictment, handed down by a …
Arthur AndersenDepartment of JusticeMichael Chertoffcorporate-fraudenronobstruction-of-justicearthur-andersencriminal-prosecution
The Department of Justice reached a settlement with Microsoft that effectively abandoned meaningful antitrust enforcement, despite a federal judge finding Microsoft guilty of monopolistic practices. The Bush administration’s DOJ retreated from the Clinton administration’s plan to break …
Microsoft CorporationBill GatesSteve BallmerDepartment of JusticeBush Administration+2 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustmicrosoftdoj+2 more
NationsBank completes its $62 billion acquisition of BankAmerica Corporation, creating the first truly coast-to-coast national bank in U.S. history and taking the Bank of America name. The merger occurs just one year before the formal repeal of Glass-Steagall, demonstrating how banking consolidation …
NationsBankBankAmericaFederal ReserveDepartment of JusticeHugh McCollbanking-consolidationmergersglass-steagallderegulationmarket-concentration+1 more
In a landmark case of regulatory capture, Dr. Curtis Wright IV, leading the FDA’s Division of Anesthetic, Critical Care, and Addiction Drug Products, approved OxyContin with controversial language that misrepresented the drug’s addictive potential. Wright held private meetings with …
Curtis Wright IVPurdue PharmaFood and Drug AdministrationDivision of Anesthetic, Critical Care, and Addiction Drug ProductsDepartment of Justiceregulatory-capturepharmaceutical-industryopioid-crisisfda-corruptionpublic-health
Between 1988 and 1992, the Department of Justice prosecutes over 1,000 savings and loan bankers for fraud and related crimes during the S&L crisis, with regulators making over 30,000 criminal referrals that produce felony convictions in cases designated as “major” by DOJ. Federal …
Department of JusticeFederal Bureau of InvestigationOffice of Thrift SupervisionS&L executivess&l-crisisprosecutionsaccountabilitywhite-collar-crimejustice-department