The U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago has rolled out an initiative aimed at curbing white-collar crime by way of a new self-disclosure program for individuals. According to the press release on their official webpage, the program offers non-prosecution agreements to qualifying participants who come forward with information on their own criminal activities, related to their employment.
This six-month pilot program, announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office, is specifically designed for non-violent offenses, it is not for those involved in violent crimes, or for high-ranking officials, federal officers, or individuals already under investigation. Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, explained the program's intent, "We are implementing this pilot program to provide a roadmap for how to report individual and organizational misconduct." Those who opt for voluntary disclosure must agree to forfeit any proceeds from and pay restitution to the victims of their crimes.
Participants are required to use a pre-printed intake form for their submissions, which will be accepted until March 15, 2025. The form should be emailed to [email protected] and will be evaluated by a working group of Assistant U.S. Attorneys. Pasqual added, "We hope the program will enhance our effectiveness by incentivizing individuals and their counsel to provide us with actionable and timely information."
Anonymous reporting is off the table, and the program also excludes anyone whose misconduct involved violence, terrorism, sex offenses involving minors, or elected officials at the federal or foreign level. For those eligible, the window for voluntary disclosure presents an opportunity to mitigate legal repercussions in exchange for cooperation.
