Within the past few weeks, the multinational corporation Caterpillar has been suspected of tax evasion and tax fraud by the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS is demanding Caterpillar pay roughly $2 billion in taxes and penalties that are being kept in an offshore Swiss account. As such, this is the first white-collar crime case of the year and the media has barely spoken a word about it. This action exemplifies the complex nature of white-collar crime and white collar prosecution.

The media has been consumed with issues of political importance, rather than any legal or economic issues. The Caterpillar case only received attention from specific media sources, such as CNBC, New York Times and Market Watch and hasn't received a substantial amount of time over the air on mainstream media networks in order to broach the subject in its entirety. At the moment, whether they are faulty or not, Caterpillar is being accused of tax fraud, a major white-collar crime. This further exemplifies the notion of the lack of importance placed on white-collar cases of significance, which affects its ability to be prosecuted in a just manner.

What is more interesting is that among mainstream media news outlets that offer the most coverage, recent news that Caterpillar is seeking former US attorney general William Barr to help with its case in the investigation of tax fraud. The former US attorney general has significant expertise into the operations of the Justice and other Federal investigative agencies, giving Caterpillar an edge in the upcoming investigation. The tax fraud extends back to 2014 in which a Senate Committee report concluded that Caterpillar shifted a significant amount of capital overseas and were most likely keeping it in Swiss accounts.

In order to combat white-collar crime, issues of suspected white-collar crime need to be brought forward and addressed in order to give the right amount of weight to every issue. Caterpillar has not been proven guilty, however the analysis of evidence in white-collar cases must be more widespread and must be offered to more populations. A part of the complexity surrounding white-collar crimes and their mysterious allure is that the public is never made aware of these incidents and of whether they are being considered or not. In order to properly address white-collar crime, there needs to be large scale discussion on the events of white-collar actors and debates on what white-collar deviance is and how to address it. Such discussions cannot be conducted without proper help from the media. Caterpillar is but one example of many white-collar issues that do not get the amount of focus necessary.