Justice talks--Money walks
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — THE Justice Department is reportedly about to enter into a $2 billion deferred prosecution agreement with JPMorgan Chase over its role in Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scandal, the latest example of the government’s troubling reluctance to bring criminal charges against major corporations
The use of deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements, which began during the George W. Bush administration and has increased under President Obama, allows companies to avoid criminal charges if they pay substantial penalties, improve their compliance programs and cooperate with authorities. The companies do not plead guilty. They are not convicted of any crimes. They do not receive criminal sentences.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/opinion/prosecution-deferred-justice-denied.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0