Edelhertz, Herbert (1922–1999)

HERBERT EDELHERTZ WAS a criminologist and scientist who specialized in the study of white-collar crime and organized-crime business activities. He authored several books and reports on the business of organized crime, corporate fraud, and the prosecution of white-collar crime. Edelhertz defined white-collar crime as any “illegal act or series of illegal acts committed by non-physical means and by concealment or guile, to obtain money or property, to avoid the payment or loss of money or property, or to obtain business or personal advantages.” This explanation, though it attempts to improve upon Edwin H. Sutherland's original working definition of white-collar crime, has been criticized for its overbroad approach that leaves room for the inclusion of non-occupational crimes.

Edelhertz, however, claimed that Sutherland's definition (“a crime committed by ...