After the savings-and-loan scandal of the 1980s, 1,100 people were prosecuted, including top executives at many of the largest failed banks. After the 2008 financial crisis, the government charged just 47 low-level employees.
In his new book, The Chickenshit Club, Propublica’s Jesse Eisinger traces the history of white-collar criminals and why President Obama’s DOJ failed to hold the wealthy and political elites accountable.
Guest:
Jesse Eisinger, senior reporter and editor at ProPublica, and author of The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives
Web Resources:
The New York Times: America’s Top Prosecutors Used to Go After Top Executives. What Changed?
The New Yorker: Why Corrupt Bankers Avoid Jail
FT: The Chickenshit Club by Jesse Eisinger — what happened to the DOJ?