The U.S. Department of Justice—widely criticized for the perceived lack of cases brought against corporate executives—issued a new directive yesterday to all U.S. Attorneys designed to hold more individuals accountable for illegal corporate conduct.   The memorandum, written by Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates, first acknowledges the challenges involved in pursuing individuals for corporate crimes, noting the difficulties in determining the culpability of high-level corporate executives who tend to be “insulated from the day-to-day activity in which the misconduct occurs.”  Yates then goes on to outline guidance designed to help prosecutors better address these challenges.
Continue Reading DOJ Memo to Prosecutors Calls for More Aggressive Pursuit of Corporate Executives