I attended a fraud seminar last week called
Taking a Harder Right. What makes this seminar unique is that the presenters are ex-convicts (who spent time in federal prison) telling their personal stories of how they went down the fraud path.
As I listened, I thought to myself how these convicts could be my neighbors, my co-workers or even me given the right circumstances and pressures. We always think that 'that could never happen to me' but until you walk in someone else's shoes, it's hard to say.
I also thought about how much courage it must take for these people to stand in front of a group of strangers and confess their sins (yes, yes, they were paid speakers, but still...). And they took full responsibility... no 'my parents didn't rise me right', no 'I didn't know this was wrong'.
Their bios...
Diann Cattani
Ms. Cattani left behind a 6 week old son and 2 young daughters to serve an 18 month federal prison sentence. She had a meritorious career as business manager, consultant/facilitator for a successful family owned boutique Human Resources consulting firm. However, she embezzled over $400,000 from the very people who treated her as a “family” and left a trail of victims and destruction in the wake of her crime. Ms. Cattani grew up in a conservative, religious, family oriented home where a strong sense of morals and deep values were instilled through daily example.
Josh Kenyon
Mr. Kenyon served as the Chief of Staff to the commission chairman of the largest county in Georgia. He developed a professional relationship with an FBI agent when Mr. Kenyon reported an attempted bribery on him. This case was successfully prosecuted, and Mr. Kenyon continued to provide helpful information to the FBI. Several years later the tables turned. Mr. Kenyon found himself as a defendant in a bribery scheme and was ultimately convicted.
