White collar crime is primarily based upon a complex set of statutes. Understanding White Collar Crime provides the texts of the statutes, along with analyses of the statutes' elements. Because many of these statutes are open to varying interpretations, the book also extensively discusses the main cases interpreting the statutes, including a large number of U.S. Supreme Court cases. Finally, the book discusses the significant policy issues that arise in white collar crime investigations and prosecutions, such as enforcement barriers and prosecutorial discretion.

Examples of new materials for this edition include discussions of the Supreme Court's recent decisions on the United States Sentencing Guidelines (Booker), obstruction of justice (Arthur Andersen LLP), mail and wire fraud (Pasquantino), conspiracy (Jimenez Recio), bribery (Sabri), extortion (Scheidler v. NOW), and money laundering (Whitfield). The Third Edition of Understanding White Collar Crime also discusses important federal circuit and district court cases in such areas as obstruction (Quattrone), mail fraud (Rybicki), securities fraud (Martha Stewart), and sentencing (various issues arising under Booker).