White-collar crime refers to non-violent, financially motivated offenses committed by businesses or government professionals. Its main motive is to gain money, power, property, or advantage. Coined in 1939 by Edwin Sutherland, these crimes typically involve deceit, concealment, or breach of trust rather than physical force. They mostly consist of fraud, bribery, inside trading, embezzlement, and money laundering. Its sentencing is often found to be too lenient due to factors mainly related to its non-violent and corruptive character.

Paul Manafort is a political consultant convicted of multiple white-collar crimes in 2018 related to his lobbying work in Ukraine. His 47 months sentence for fraud and tax evasion was deemed too lenient by many experts (Pierpoint 2019). This type of sentencing not just undermine judicial efforts and societal fairness but encourage recidivism. The Federal sentencing statute 18 U.S.C. § 3553 which recommend proportionality in sentencing must prevail during white collar crime judicial processes. Regarding the alarming degree of leniency accorded to white collar crimes, it is time to plead for a more responsible sentencing against those type of criminals (Townsend 2019). White collar crime might be non-violent, not causing direct physical harm to victims, but it sure has serious consequences on society. Such crime and criminal activity on its own cost the nation $426 billion to $1.7 trillion annually. Harsher punishment could act as a critical deterrent against high-level financial crimes, maintain trust in institutions, and increase individual senses of ethics and accountability. White collar crime was found to be a significant driver of terrorist funding in Africa through complex financial crimes like money laundering, fraud, and illicit trade. It is used to generate, move, and conceal funds for extremist groups (Kane & Wall 2005). Examples include using virtual assets, informal transfer systems, and corporate, academic, or logistical support to fuel terrorism, particularly in regions with high illicit financial flows. Both corporate and individuals (not one or another) involved must endure consequent legal sanctions for such crimes (Buell 2024).

Following several major white collar crime scandals in the past decade, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), which is a U.S. federal law was passed and enacted on July 30th, 2022, to restore investor trust by enforcing strict, transparent financial reporting for public companies (Hanna 2025). This act was preceded by several other similar laws in the United States and abroad, proving the United States active contribution in the fight against global terrorism.

. The Money Laundering Control Act of 1986 (MLCA) was the primary law dealing with the concealment of illegal funds.

. The Punishment of Frauds Act of 1857 in the United Kingdom brought a critical response to the 19th century banking scandals.

. The Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988 in India was enacted by the parliament to combat fraud and corruption in government agencies and public sector businesses.

More importantly, let not political manipulations behind Paul Manafort’s involvement in a white collar crime be a distraction from the very essence of the rule of law and justice. Indeed, Paul Manafort might have been President Trump’s campaign chairman in 2016, but there’s no clear evidence that his crimes were related to the President and his campaign. Manafort’s personal and isolated behavior must therefore not be considered a political matter but a judicial matter. The President would surely be proud to see him bravely assume his responsibility in front of the law as he should, knowing such type of crime and criminal behavior potentially lead to high scale funding in benefit of national and international terrorism.

 

Thanks for your signatures and support for this noble cause.

 

You may also contact the U.S. Attorney General’s office to show your support.

 

U.S Department of Justice

Office of the U.S. Attorney General

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530-0001

Tel: +1 202-353-1555

https://www.justice.gov/contact-us