There are more cases of the clergy and religious leaders abusing the trust of the very people who look to them for guidance than is readily admitted by the religious community. It has often been documented how the religious institutions themselves have participated in the cover-ups of such “black collar crimes” and even resisted police investigations. Although individual cases are reported in the media, the prevalence of these incidents is generally underestimated. For example, every one of the 187 Catholic dioceses in the United States has been sued over priestly abuse of children.

Listed here are captions of local and state “Black Collar Crimes” which are linked to complete articles detailing the abuse of trust by those who use religion to conceal or even justify their conduct.