As 2019 fades into history, America ruefully looks back on another year of mass murders, bias-inspired crimes, child and sex abuse cases, fraud involving the privileged class, and other misdeeds.

Using media sources such as The New York Times, National Public Radio, and The Associated Press, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed hundreds of popular news stories to create a list of the year’s biggest crime stories. We selected stories that stood out for how many lives they impacted, for being in some respects unprecedented, and for involving people or institutions of great importance to the public. We also aimed for a variety of subjects to cover the wide range of notable 2019 crime stories.

America was shaken by two mass-shooting events in a 24 hour period this past August, renewing the debate over gun control in Washington, D.C. as well as in living rooms and workplaces across the nation. These are the deadliest mass shootings in our nation’s history.

Crimes such as a shooting in a California synagogue and church burnings in Louisiana reminded us that bias and hate remain intractable problems in the United States.

Other crimes involved the entitled elite, such as the college admissions scandal in which affluent and well-connected people used their status to gain an unfair advantage for their children to get into America’s most exclusive universities. It was a reminder that in a nation that prides itself on merit, the playing field is not level. Here are the worst scandals that shocked Hollywood.

Click here to see the 20 biggest crime stories of the year