White Collar Crimes

This Article deals with those sections of the Maine Criminal Code which criminalize certain nonviolent conduct. Many of the offenses contained in the Chapters on bribery, fraud and falsification are new to Maine law. Here, as elsewhere, the drafters of the Code have attempted to distinguish between conduct that is sufficiently detrimental to community interests to require the criminal sanction and conduct that is regarded as merely undesirable. These sections in particular represent the societal interests in preserving the integrity of documents, official statements and public offices, and in encouraging honesty in business transactions. This Article focuses on the derivation and novel features of these nonviolent offenses. Embezzlement and tax fraud are not considered here, however, since the former is discussed in the Property Offenses Article in this issue and the latter is not covered by the Code.