White Collar Crime and Fraud Podcast

We continue our series of podcasts with a focus on what happens when you are cooperating with the Government.

We continue our discussion of what happens if a person is investigated for and charged with a white collar crime. In this episode, we discuss what occurs when the defendant wishes to make a plea deal with the government.

What happens when a white collar crime prosecution begins and how does it end? In this multi-part episode, we will discuss the beginning and end of a white collar prosecution from the investigative phase through the end of trial.

Stage magicians have been around since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians. We are amazed at how someone can appear to levitate on stage or how someone can be sawed in half. It should come as no surprise, then that the art of misdirection , so critical to the work of stage magicians, is also in the arsenal of fraudsters and white collar criminals.

The Friendship Bracelet scam is a scam that is perpetuated on foreigners and travelers. It involves a scammer's knowledge of human psychology, especially the principle that most people will want to pay for a gift, even if payment is not initially required. A scammer also relies on the fact that most people just want to be left alone, even if it means paying money. It's an old scam but one...

Wine is a multi million dollar, if not multi billion dollar, industry spread across the world. Wine has a history stretching back tens of thousands of years as humans learned to domesticate grapes and then learned that the simple product of fermentation would yield..............what today we call "wine." It is no surprise then that just as wine has a long history, wine fraud also occurs.

This is the second part of a two-part episode. In this episode, I continue my discussions with film critic Alan Cerny regarding movies that have a fraud and/or white collar theme. This episode does contain some profanity.

This is part 1 of a 2 part episode. Fraud and White Collar Crime are topics that are naturally made for the movies and TV. A con man always uses his knowledge of human emotions and weaknesses to do his job. In the hands of good actors, directors and screenwriters, fraud and white collar crime can make for an enjoyable movie experience. I am proud to host Alan Cerny, noted movie critic, as my guest...

Well......it's that time of year again. Time for my White Collar Crime and Fraud podcast's annual Halloween episode. We explore the world of fraud from a more, dare I say it..........."spookier" perspective. Enjoy. Spook2 by PeriTune | https://peritune.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/...

There is nothing new under the sun and this includes fraud. Fraud was an issue in the Roman world just as it is an issue for us. Debasement of the currency and the fraudulent use of weights and measures were serious issues in the Roman world..............as well as the machinations of the man thought to be the richest Roman who ever lived.

Dr. Carl Sagan, among his other publications, discussed a "Baloney Detection Kit." This "kit" and the principles within were used by Dr. Sagan to combat pseudoscience and sloppy thinking. However, the nine tools in this Baloney Detection Kit are also an excellent way to combat fraud and white collar crime. I can't promise that by following all 9 rules of the Baloney Detecti...

Founded in about 1850, Lehman Brothers became one of the largest investment firms and wealth management organizations in the United States. At one point, it employed 14,000 people and occupied the entire 34 stories of 250 Vesey Street in Manhattan. Then, in September 2008, it all came crashing down. What happened? Was this fraud or incompetence or a bit of both? Let's talk about the fall of Le...

We conclude our episode of Fraud in the Martial Arts. We discuss three "martial arts masters" who claim outrageous lineages and/or abilities which are not authenticated or proven. I also discuss what to look for when choosing a martial arts school. Warning that this episode does contain some profanity. Music - Action Rhythm and Epic Boss Fight by David Fesliyan. Opening Quote from Bruce...

I apologize to my listeners for the delay in getting this podcast published. Like any other endeavor, martial arts can be the subject of fraud. If a person spends money and invests his time to learn a skill advertised as a "skill that can save a life" but ends up being taught by a charlatan who has no knowledge of the subject, not only is the person's time and money wasted, but a fal...

Soon after the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, I discussed how corruption in the Russian Armed Forces was a serious threat to the invasion and Russian society in general. Now, 18 months into the war, Russian corruption has reached the point where the Ukrainians joke that their military consists of four branches: the army, navy, air force and Russian corruption. Let's take another look at how...

Back during the first year of my podcast, I discussed how I was almost the victim of a scam. Well - it almost happened again. The fake check scam is still out there and still a very real threat. And for attorneys, this threat can interfere with the trust accounts we are required to maintain as attorneys and can present a very real threat to our law licenses. Some things are just too good to be and...

Mention the name "Yakuza" and Manga addicts will jump for joy. The term "Yakuza" mentioned to U.S. Law Enforcement authorities will probably evoke a different reaction. Mention the term "Yakuza" to the average Japanese and you may get an answer anywhere from praising the Yakuza as a collection of Robin Hoods who look out for the forgotten members of society or another...

Artificial Intelligence is in the news and will continue to be in the news. And for the world of fraud and white collar crime, AI will always be in the news. AI already has the ability to analyze billions of pieces of data in a very short time which can be very useful to those trying to identify fraud. But AI also will soon have the ability to mimic human voices and personalities down to the last...

"The War of the Worlds" is one of the first science-fiction novels. Written by H.G. Wells in 1898, the novel has become immortal with its tale of invading Martians who have technology far in advance of humans who are unstoppable in their invasion of Earth. Until they are not. The novel was adapted into a radio play by Orson Wells in 1938. The radio play was staged as a news broadcast and...

"All warfare is deception." So says Sun Zi in his immortal classic "The Art of War." As we have discussed many times on this podcast, fraud is the use of deception and false information to entice a target into performing an action. Usually this action involves getting the target to turn over money or property. But is there a situation in which the techniques of fraud can be use...

The country of Georgia (not the U.S. State) became independent in 1991 when the USSR fell apart.  Georgians are a people with a long and distinguished history, a unique language (and alphabet!) and some of the most delightful cuisine in the world.  But from 1991 until 2003, Georgia was also one of the most corrupt countries in the world and considered a dangerous place in which to do bus...

This is a two part episode.  We will examine two countries.  In this episode, we will look at Iceland - a country which is held up as the "gold standard."  Iceland has a very high standard of living, very low corruption index, one of the most crime-free countries in the world and one of the safest place in which to invest money.  Yet even in this "Shangri-La," a fraud and finan...

If you drive from Houston to Dallas or vice-versa, you will most likely be travelling on IH 45, a major highway in America that runs north to south.  Somewhere about 1 hour south of Dallas is the small town of Corsicana - a picturesque town in the heart of Texas with a very famous local business - the Collin Street Bakery.  The Collin Street Bakery has been around since 1896 and has the...

In the United States we call it soccer but for the rest of the world it is "football" - the world's most popular sport.  In 2022 the most important event in soccer - the World Cup - was held in Doha, Qatar. Argentina emerged the winner after a long, hard game.  But even the world's most popular sport is not immune to charges of corruption and fraud.  FIFA is soccer's worldwide, gove...

Cryptocurrency is in the news.  Sam Bankman-Fried was the darling of the cryptocurrency crowd and was a billionaire by the age of 30 for developing the FTX trading platform for cryptocurrency trades.  Like much with cryptocurrency, there seemed to be no limit as to how high the FTX platform could fly and become a winning investment.  Now it is in bankruptcy protection and questions...