By Paul Shukovsky, Tracy Johnson and Daniel Lathrop
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Thousands of white-collar criminals across the country are no longer being prosecuted in federal court – and, in many cases, not at all – leaving a trail of frustrated victims and potentially billions of dollars in fraud and theft losses.
It is the untold story of the Bush administration’s massive restructuring of the FBI after the terrorism attacks of 9/11.
Five-and-a-half years later, the White House and the Justice Department have failed to replace at least 2,400 agents transferred to counterterrorism squads, leaving far fewer agents on the trail of identity thieves, con artists, hatemongers and other criminals.
Two successive attorneys general have rejected the FBI’s pleas for reinforcements behind closed doors.
(Original Article)