Wards Cove Packing v. Atonio

The term white collar crime was first introduced by sociologist Edwin H. Sutherland, during a speech before the American Sociological Association in 1939. He defined white-collar crime as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation." That means that the crime must be related to the job or occupation, and is committed by someone in a position of status within the company. Typically, murder manslaughter and robbery would not be considered white-collar crimes since they are not apart of routine work procedures.

The U.S. Attorney General's Office defined white collar crime in a annual report as "illegal acts that use deceit and concealment--rather than application or threat of physical force or violence--to obtain money, property, or service; to avoid the payment or loss of money; or to secure a business or personal advantage."