Tightening the Leash on Wall St.’s Watchdog

Several weeks ago I wrote a column about a bribery scandal at Tyson Foods questioning the government’s failure to hold anyone accountable for a scheme that Tyson itself admitted. No individuals were charged. While the S.E.C. wouldn’t disclose its reasons, a theme that emerged in my inquiries was that the case involved foreign witnesses and was therefore expensive to investigate and prosecute, and that the S.E.C. had limited resources. The decision not to pursue charges may have involved many factors, but one disturbing possibility was that the agency simply couldn’t afford to.

Read more: Tightening the Leash on Wall St.’s Watchdog — New York Times