Utah is first state with registry for white-collar criminals
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Convicted white-collar criminals in Utah who want to remove their names from a new state registry will have to pay court-ordered restitution in full.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes says the state’s new registry for white-collar criminals who don’t timely comply with court orders is a “carrot” for offenders to provide restitution for victims, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. But defense lawyers complain that provision favors wealthy criminals over those with less money.
The registry, which will formally launch in a few months, will include those convicted of second-degree frauds or other financial felonies since January 2006. Generally names on the registry will stay there for 10 years after a first offense. Those with three offenses will never be removed from the registry.
Utah is the only state with such a list. Fifty states have registries for sex offenders, eight have lists of methamphetamine producers, five have lists for arson offenders, one has a list for animal abuse, and one requires registration for convicted felons for up to five years after they complete the sentence.
