Since corporations can't serve time in jail, some lawmakers say they should have to pay out a lot more when they are found guilty of a crime.
California Assembly member Jesse Gabriel authored a bill that is making its way through the state assembly. The bill hopes to hold companies more appropriately accountable for committing crimes like tax fraud, counterfeiting, human trafficking, and environmental crime.
One example given was the 2015 oil spill in Santa Barbra, which caused more than $200 million in damage but resulted in little more than a slap on the writs for the company.
"A $3.3 million fine that nowhere nearly approximated the damage that they had caused the harm that they had caused," said Gabriel.
In addition to steeper fines for convicted companies with deep pockets, the bill would allocate forfeitures to fund the state's Crime Victims Service programs, which officials say will soon lose about $170 million in annual federal money.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is sponsoring the bill, said fines are the primary punishment for corporate crimes, and it's currently capped at $10,000 per felony.
According to Bonta, "We'll be raising that...to twice the amount that was stolen by the corporation that committed the crime or twice the amount of the loss caused by the crime."
Bonta said ultimately, it would be up to the courts to slap increased penalties on corporations convicted of criminal activity.
The bill was in front of the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and still has a ways to go before approval.
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