Problem
Search on the internet and pick your favorite (or most despised) white-collar criminal who has been in the news and been accused or tried for a corporate crime.
The following are some of the "usual suspects" that you may want to consider (or feel free to pick your own):
• John Rigas (Adelphia)
• Dennis Kozlowski (Tyco)
• Ken Lay (Enron)
• Andrew Fastow (Enron)
• Jeff Skilling (Enron)
• Bernard Ebbers (Worldcom)
• Richard Scrushy (HealthSouth)
• Bernard Madoff (BLM Investment Securities LLC)
• Jordan Belfort (Stratton Oakmont)
• Martha Stewart (Imclone)
• Billy McFarland (FYRE)
• Elizabeth Holmes (Theranos)
• ...and, sadly the list keeps growing!
NEXT, think about the following prompts as you organize and write
• Compile a brief "bio" describing your "pick" and their company.
• What crimes have they been accused of?
• Have they been sentenced, acquitted or did they settle?
• Did they get what they deserved (punished? fined? freed?)?
• Will their punishment act as a deterrent to others?
• Does white collar crime pay or does it cost us dearly?
• Does the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have to do with any of this?