During the 20th century, organized crime in the United States was contained and legally prosecuted due to amended constitutional laws and investigations by special congressional committees. The Organized Crime Control Act and the RICO Act were instrumental in prosecuting popular organized crime figures, such as John Gotti. However, the 21st century has seen an influx of criminal organizations changing their physical appearance and business approach. These new global crime syndicates legitimize their businesses through the assistance of banking institutions, digital money laundering and legal loopholes. It is becoming increasingly difficult to prosecute organized crime organizations without disrupting the financial structure of the global economy. This topic examines whether law enforcement agencies can conjoin their efforts, on a global scale, to penalize business institutions that help organized crime syndicates to become financially legitimate.
In the past decade, white collar crime such as insider trading, banking fraud, ponzi schemes, corporate embezzlement and political money laundering has reached an all-time high. Respected and highly influential individuals like Tom Delay, Martha Stewart and Bernie Madoff were prosecuted for their crimes; companies like Fannie Mae and AIG were brought before congressional committees. However, for many American citizens, everything they believed in and invested in is gone. This topic discusses legal and economic reimbursement options for American citizens who join class action lawsuits or file individual indictments against federally prosecuted white collar criminals.
Most large companies in the United States conduct global business and outsource work to foreign countries that provide cheap labor and reduced cost on manufacturing goods. The United States government also allows foreign controlled companies to sell their products in the U.S., creating a highly competitive consumer market. This topic discusses the current economy in the United States and the legal and economic ramifications global business has on the American job market.
Internet companies like Limewire, Google, YouTube and Yahoo Video have all been sued for artistic copyright infringement. However, the internet itself is the largest business infrastructure that encourages artistic copyright infringement through shared files, social websites and countless unregulated businesses. This topic discusses the economic and legal advantages and disadvantages of regulating the internet to reduce copyright infringement on literary and artistic works.