White Collar Crime Registry Arrives in Utah
Among the 42 bills Gov. Gary R. Herbert signed yesterday was HB 378, White Collar Crime Registry. HB 378 authorizes the attorney general to develop and operate a Utah White Collar Crime Offender registry, which will be made available to the public.
“Whether a criminal wears a white collar or a blue collar, I am a strong supporter of protecting the consumer and the public from fraud and predatory practices,” said Gov. Herbert. “This bill helps us do that and I’m proud to sign it.”
The Utah White Collar Crime registry will be the first of its type in the nation. The registry is specifically aimed at people who have been convicted of at least a second degree felony for financial crimes such as securities fraud or theft by deception. It is intended to highlight those who are the most severe offenders and take into account the seriousness of offenses. The Utah Attorney General’s Office is tasked with the responsibility to develop, operate and maintain the registry website.
Rep. Michael K. McKell (R), and Senator Curtis S. Bramble (R), sponsored the bill. “We have sex offender registries that have been fairly successful,” Senator Bramble told Gephardt Daily. “A lot of these people who commit white collar crimes are repeat offenders, and the attorney general thought it would be a good tool in fighting white collar crime.”
Not everyone agrees. Gephardt Daily interviewed Greg Skordas, an Attorney with the form of Skordas Caston & Hyde, LLC, and past president of the Salt Lake County Bar Association and Criminal Law Section of the Utah State Bar. “First of all, I think it’s a terrible idea,” Skordas said. ” But I also thought the sex offender registry it was a bad idea.”
Skordas’ opinions on the sex offender registry haven’t changed. “I don’t see how it has helped by exposing and embarrassing people by preventing them from getting a job or doing service for their churches,” Skordas said. “I can certainly understand the legislature’s goal in protecting the public from people, but the more we do that, the more people rely on the government to tell them who they can deal with.”
John Mejia is the Legal Director of the ACLU of Utah. “We’re opposed to crime registries generally,” Mejia said. “Crime registries provide a road block for people who have served time to get reintegrated into society. We don’t believe in putting up roadblocks for people like that to get back into real life.”
The sponsors of the original bill argue that the registry argue that it is a crucial tool that gives individuals access to vital information with which they can make informed financial and investment decisions.
