crime does not pay

Idioms  

1. Lawbreakers do not benefit from their actions. For example, Steve didn't think it mattered that he stole a candy bar, but he's learned the hard way that crime does not pay. This maxim, originating as a slogan of the F.B.I. and given wide currency by the cartoon character Dick Tracy, was first recorded in 1927. There have been numerous jocular plays on it, as in Woody Allen's screenplay for Take the Money and Run (1969): “I think crime pays. The hours are good, you travel a lot.”

---

Example Sentences

Mike Andrews, national coordinator with the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, said the ruling was "good news for fans and shows that crime does not pay, as the criminals must pay back the vast profits they generated illegally while they continue to face time behind bars".

From BBC

“Thou shall not steal, and crime does not pay.”

From Washington Times

“We have to make sure that crime does not pay.”

From Los Angeles Times

“The core objective is to ensure that crime does not pay by depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains and limiting their capacity to commit further crimes,” the European Commission said.

From Seattle Times

“He just can’t seem to get the picture that crime does not pay,” the sheriff said.

From Seattle Times