How ordinary Americans suffer when the rich and powerful use tax dodges or break the law to get richer and more powerful--and how we can stop it.
There is an elite crime spree happening in America, and the privileged perps are getting away with it. Selling loose cigarettes on a city sidewalk can lead to a choke-hold arrest, and death, if you are not among the top 1%. But if you're rich and commit mail, wire, or bank fraud, embezzle pension funds, lie in court, obstruct justice, bribe a public official, launder money, or cheat on your taxes, you're likely to get off scot-free (or even win an election). When caught and convicted, such as for bribing their kids' way into college, high-class criminals make brief stops in minimum security "Club Fed" camps. Operate the scam from the executive suite of a giant corporation, and you can prosper with impunity. Consider Wells Fargo & Co. Pressured by management, employees at the bank opened more than three million bank and credit card accounts without customer consent, and charged late fees and penalties to account holders. When CEO John Stumpf resigned in "shame," the board of directors granted him a $134 million golden parachute.
This is not victimless crime. Big Dirty Money details the scandalously common and concrete ways that ordinary Americans suffer when the well-heeled use white collar crime to gain and sustain wealth, social status, and political influence. Profiteers caused the mortgage meltdown and the prescription opioid crisis, they've evaded taxes and deprived communities of public funds for education, public health, and infrastructure. Taub goes beyond the headlines (of which there is no shortage) to track how we got here (essentially a post-Enron failure of prosecutorial muscle, the growth of "too big to jail" syndrome, and a developing implicit immunity of the upper class) and pose solutions that can help catch and convict offenders.
Reviews (28)
A must read!
We all know the stories from the headlines, but the author gives a framework to them: creating a tapestry from the individual threads. It’s a very sobering read, and quite well written. I must admit that I really didn’t understand how much the Big Dirty Money relies on keeping the laws in their favor. This is a well crafted wake-up-call to the 99% of us who have been too busy working, to see the massive injustices that have been right in front of our eyes, all along.
Extraordinary Information about the history of White Collar Crime and the Inequities in Justice
I wanted details and that's what I got. So I no longer just have a general idea of how much the rich and powerful get away with doing vast damage to people's lives. I understand what has happened, who has benefited, who cares, and what can be done about it. I was immediately taken into the story in ways I didn't expect, right from the beginning. I have marked up this book with multiple colors because there are so many details I don't want to miss. In fact, the only suggestion I would have to the author would be to break up the paragraphs more, because I find legitimate topic sentences mid-paragraph, and I think breaking it up would make for better readability and aid the progression of the story. However, I also recognize it would then make for a much longer book, which could be daunting for some, and cause the publisher to charge more. A very important book. A detailed story well-told. This is information informed citizens need.
Tax dollars , corruption, greed beyond belief !
Most adults in our Nation are aware of some degree of waste , greed, etc. associated with our government, at all levels. However, it is SHOCKING to realize how many BILLIONS of dollars are wasted , funneled into some person"s pocket , etc. If this country would eliminate just 30% of the billions , through enforcement of a variety of "sweet deals" , collection of taxes owed , fines , and by "stop looking the other way". No one should be able to get "filthy-rich" on the back of U.S. Taxpayers !
Valuable Read
Taub’s timely book shines light on crime that all to often does significant damage to society, but continues to evade full justice.
Being informed is key - here's the truth of the matter
When I worked as a staffer on Wall Street and Big Law, I kept my eyes and ears open. When it comes to grift, graft and serious crimes that brought only a slap on the wrist, I thought I was pretty well informed. Reading this book, I've learned a great deal about the white collar criminals of the US, in-depth, impeccably researched and backed up. If you want to be an informed citizen, read this book. My favorite thing is the author's solutions-based approach.
Very good portrayal of white collar crime in America.
Most people are outraged by a report of a white collar crime, but are unaware of how ubiquitous both white collar crime is and how relatively little such criminals pay for their misdeeds. The book does a good job of bringing both issues into focus. The author also does a good job at recommending how the situation might be addressed. There is a question as to whether the political will can be found in sufficient degree to effect the suggested solutions.
DOJ Rubicon
Interesting book on how the DOJ has been working and being eroded by various stakeholders. Should be read by every American.
White collar crime and your money
This is a fantastic book, a Master Class in recognizing and understanding white collar crime. Real cases that show how the laws, lawmakers, and lawkeepers favor the white color criminal to the detriment of us all.
Fills in lots of gaps
Enlightening look into so many ways the system is gamed by those with money. They set the rules. Heads they win, tails you (the 95%ers) lose. It’s as though so much of the “upper class” benefits from what is legal organized crime. Thank you Jennifer Taub for bringing this book to us.
The source of much evil !
Terrific book on the subject. So much awful corruption goes unpunished and the tells how.
A must read!
We all know the stories from the headlines, but the author gives a framework to them: creating a tapestry from the individual threads. It’s a very sobering read, and quite well written. I must admit that I really didn’t understand how much the Big Dirty Money relies on keeping the laws in their favor. This is a well crafted wake-up-call to the 99% of us who have been too busy working, to see the massive injustices that have been right in front of our eyes, all along.
Extraordinary Information about the history of White Collar Crime and the Inequities in Justice
I wanted details and that's what I got. So I no longer just have a general idea of how much the rich and powerful get away with doing vast damage to people's lives. I understand what has happened, who has benefited, who cares, and what can be done about it. I was immediately taken into the story in ways I didn't expect, right from the beginning. I have marked up this book with multiple colors because there are so many details I don't want to miss. In fact, the only suggestion I would have to the author would be to break up the paragraphs more, because I find legitimate topic sentences mid-paragraph, and I think breaking it up would make for better readability and aid the progression of the story. However, I also recognize it would then make for a much longer book, which could be daunting for some, and cause the publisher to charge more. A very important book. A detailed story well-told. This is information informed citizens need.
Tax dollars , corruption, greed beyond belief !
Most adults in our Nation are aware of some degree of waste , greed, etc. associated with our government, at all levels. However, it is SHOCKING to realize how many BILLIONS of dollars are wasted , funneled into some person"s pocket , etc. If this country would eliminate just 30% of the billions , through enforcement of a variety of "sweet deals" , collection of taxes owed , fines , and by "stop looking the other way". No one should be able to get "filthy-rich" on the back of U.S. Taxpayers !
Valuable Read
Taub’s timely book shines light on crime that all to often does significant damage to society, but continues to evade full justice.
Being informed is key - here's the truth of the matter
When I worked as a staffer on Wall Street and Big Law, I kept my eyes and ears open. When it comes to grift, graft and serious crimes that brought only a slap on the wrist, I thought I was pretty well informed. Reading this book, I've learned a great deal about the white collar criminals of the US, in-depth, impeccably researched and backed up. If you want to be an informed citizen, read this book. My favorite thing is the author's solutions-based approach.
Very good portrayal of white collar crime in America.
Most people are outraged by a report of a white collar crime, but are unaware of how ubiquitous both white collar crime is and how relatively little such criminals pay for their misdeeds. The book does a good job of bringing both issues into focus. The author also does a good job at recommending how the situation might be addressed. There is a question as to whether the political will can be found in sufficient degree to effect the suggested solutions.
DOJ Rubicon
Interesting book on how the DOJ has been working and being eroded by various stakeholders. Should be read by every American.
White collar crime and your money
This is a fantastic book, a Master Class in recognizing and understanding white collar crime. Real cases that show how the laws, lawmakers, and lawkeepers favor the white color criminal to the detriment of us all.
Fills in lots of gaps
Enlightening look into so many ways the system is gamed by those with money. They set the rules. Heads they win, tails you (the 95%ers) lose. It’s as though so much of the “upper class” benefits from what is legal organized crime. Thank you Jennifer Taub for bringing this book to us.
The source of much evil !
Terrific book on the subject. So much awful corruption goes unpunished and the tells how.
We need jurisdiction.
Very informative on white collar crime.
A Must Read
A central myth this book examines is why does the law consider white collar crime victimless when so often this isn't the case? In an era when loopholes get larger and oversight becomes less forceful, this question becomes that much more important (spoiler: victims exist). A cogent, approachable and timely read about dense stuff (the law, corporate greed, the machinations of wealth/the wealthy), this book helped me better understand our current times.
10/10
Great book. More relevant than ever.
This Book Connects the Dots of the Big $ System Overall and Brings the Receipts as Proof
Jennifer Taub brings the receipts (comprehensive well-documented footnotes and subject-matter index) to her exceptionally well-written, readable book. If everyone read this, we could collectively expand our understanding of the society that shapes us and better look for solutions to the concerning subject matter. We might also end the pervasive propaganda in some quarters that the US is not a class-based society revolving in large measure around generationally inherited money. Worth the book's price are her coverage of implicit immunity --- and insightful language about a post-Trumpian tainted system (p. 226, putting words to the interconnected components that make up a big dirty system) --- and there's so very much more! I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Important book
This is a book that needs to be much more widely read and discussed, especially by those who represent us in Congress. I find it sad that the C--WMars library system (Central and Western MA where I believe the author resides) had only one electronic copy and no print copies. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Rich Neal, please read!
An important read
My daughter was fortunate enough to have Jennifer as one of her professors at Vermont Law School. I gave her an autographed copy of this seminal book for her birthday present this November. Inspired by Jennifer, my daughter is now the managing attorney at legal aid in Kona Hawaii.
Fact-based outrage is the best kind of outrage (and a well-behaved dog)
Had the great good fortune of virtually interviewing Jennifer at a book event last month. She is smart, funny, (parenthetically really good with animals. You had to be there), and knows more about this subject than is probably healthy. Read the book. It will confirm your worst fears, it will make you angry, and it will give you hope that there are good people out there fighting the unholy alliance of money, politics, and the absence of shame and accountability. Taub is one of those good people.
Exposing inequality of both financial system and justice
Ms Taub is not the first to point out how the financial and legal system is stacked against the average American, but but Taub explicitly breaks down how of enforcement and accountability and rules are driven by class and cash. It's not a fun read, but it is compelling and encourages us to get off the couch and say enough is enough.
