The U.S. Department of Justice is reducing criminal prosecutions against corporations. Officials increasingly resolve investigations through non-prosecution agreements, deferred prosecution agreements, or by closing cases entirely.
This strategy shifts the department's focus toward holding individual executives accountable. Officials argue that targeting individuals provides a stronger deterrent than penalizing entire companies.
Critics report that the promised increase in individual prosecutions has not materialized. Recent investigations into Abbott Laboratories, Alibaba, and EagleBank closed without criminal charges against the firms.
Prosecutors declined to charge these companies despite evidence of senior employee involvement in wrongdoing. The trend indicates a broader leniency for both corporations and their leadership.