As far as I know there are still powerful people ending up in prison (at least in the US) once in a while, which seems to go against your last point. If Money equalled power then Madoff would never have landed in prison with a 150 years sentence.
How much time will the gentlemen convicted of OVER A TRILLION DOLLARS OF LIBOR MANIPULATION get? Nothing - the only people really suffering there were mortgagees and small to mid size banks.
The banks involved will pay maybe a billion dollars in fines, borne of course by both shareholders (including your 401K) and customers. Meanwhile, the banks profited far more than that, and the individuals involved simply got moved to another office.
I met one of the VPs for Lehman Bros, responsible in all but law for what happened in 2008. He has a very nice job working for a major Asia Pacific bank, and earns a hell of a lot more than you or I ever will.
