And the greater the position of trust, the greater the magnitude of the theft. C. Motives for White Collar Crime. The student will note that I used the term, motive, rather than cause. In brief, white collar criminals are not physiologically deformed, don't carry bad genes, don't socialize with known criminals, don't get a surplus of definitions favorable to crime, aren't in deviant peers groups, aren't poor and do go to church regularly. Much in the way of white collar crime can be attributed to efforts of white collar criminals to attain and maintain a middle class life style.
Homes can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Sending children to college requires tens of thousands of dollars. Equipping a home with furnishings, art, electronics and other appliances can be very costly. Middle class families buy and maintain two, three four or more automobiles. Middle class families buy and maintain two or three domiciles. Middle class families take vacations in Europe, Australia, South Pacific and Africa.