A Registry for Non-Violent Fraud-Related White Collar Crimes
The White Collar Crime Offender Registry of Utah was established in 2015 to expose individuals convicted of white collar crimes and make their information public. It was signed into law by the Governor on March 24, 2015. Persons convicted before that date are immune to being placed there, providing they have followed all court ordered conditions.
White collar crimes are non-violent crimes. They involve embezzling or otherwise defrauding companies and people of money. These crimes are the result of deceit, or of hiding assets. The criminals in these cases often make their financial gains by violating the trust of the property holder. A crime can exist even if there is no physical force or threat of violence.
This criminal registry has been compared to a Sex Offenders Registry. It is also similar to a general felony registry, but is aimed at identifying convicted white collar criminals. Persons on this list will be identified by height, weight, eye color, hair color and date they were born. Details of the crime and the conviction will also be included.
The White Collar Crime Offender Registry is maintained with different levels for people with more than one conviction. Each subsequent conviction after the first earns a longer term on the registry. A first conviction will see the perpetrator registered for ten years. If convicted a second time, his name and data will appear for twenty years. A third conviction of white collar crime will earn a lifetime registration.
People who commit white collar crimes tend to be in positions of financial or legal management. They can be stock advisors, lawyers, or accountants. White collar crimes tend to be committed by educated professionals with seemingly good credentials. That is one reason why the State has deemed that a White Collar Crime Offender Registry is needed.
Financially related crimes can be focused on acquiring funds in an illegal manner. They also occur when a person involved in asset management desires to keep control and not lose access to funds. They occur by manipulating and redirecting funds into the another individual’s control. The crimes are theft by deception rather than force.
The Utah White Collar Crime Registry does not take the place of any sentence, or court ordered restitution for persons convicted of theft by deception or defrauding people and corporations of funds. It is designed to identify and warn future potential victims of the history of those listed on it. Individuals who are on the registry have been convicted of at least a second degree felony.
Information contained in the Utah White Collar Crime Offender Registry is in the public record. It can be found online by a targeted search. The purpose of the registry is not to introduce new information but to highlight the people who have committed the most serious financial crimes. The registry is a tool for both the public and law enforcement to use in avoiding further misconduct and fraud.
The White Collar Crime Offender Registry is maintained by the office of the State Attorney General of Utah. Information is derived from judicial records after a conviction of a white collar felony of the second degree or higher.
