Page 1 of 3 | Next Page
Show Entire Article

Here's how I see perp walks in 2012.

1. CEOs stay handcuff-free.

Sorry, Occupy Wall Street . Don't expect a parade of CEO perp walks. The conduct that gave rise to the financial crisis was so widespread — and maybe just barely legal enough — that prosecutors still haven't been able to get the lower level guilty pleas they need to work their way to the top. But we will see some arrests in 2012 because of No. 2, below.

2. Insider trading remains front and center.

The conviction of Raj Rajaratnam legitimized the useof wiretaps to ferret out insider trading. Now that they know it works, prosecutors will unleash more juicy tapes of other trader types in 2012.

3. Ponzi schemes will persist.

FBI Ponzi cases are already up 150 percent since Madoff . Watch for cases involving foreign currency scams — especially popular nowadays. The Madoff case isn't over yet either, and accused Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford is still waiting to go on trial .

4. Focus on health care fraud.

With healthcare in focus this election year, watch for growing attention by law enforcement to fraud, which could account for at least 10 percent of the cost of Medicare and Medicaid.

Page 1 of 3 | Next Page
Show Entire Article

---