We recently presented a look at some of the most notorious financial felons of contemporary times.

Since then, news has included the indictment of Mark Cuban for insider trading in a case that is somewhat reminiscent of Martha Stewart's case. According to the SEC, the billionaire entrepreneur asked his broker to sell all his shares of Mamma.com after the company's CEO confidentially told him of an impending stock offering that would dilute the value of all existing shares. By selling before the information became public, Cuban is said to have sidestepped losses of more than $750,000. Cuban insists, though, that no agreement existed to keep the information confidential.

And then there was the indictment in Texas of Vice President Dick Cheney, along with former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others. There seems to be a conflict of interest between the vice president's influence on the federal agency that oversees federal immigration detention centers and his substantial holdings in Vanguard Group, which invests in private prison companies. But does the lame-duck county district attorney, who was a no-show in court, have the authority to bring charges against federal officials with regard to federally run institutions?

Continue reading Financial Felons: Where are they now and is there a next generation coming?

Financial Felons: Where are they now and is there a next generation coming? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a feature in which we wonder whatever happened to some notorious financial felons. See all 17.

How does the head of one of Archer Daniels Midland's (NYSE: ADM) fastest-growing divisions, a virtual shoo-in to be the company's next president, end up embezzling $9 million dollars while simultaneously acting as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation? And how does the highest-level executive to turn whistleblower receive a sentence much harsher than those of his co-conspirators despite pleas for leniency and clemency from everyone from the FBI and the Justice Department to congressmen, university professors, and even a baseball hall-of-famer?

Sounds like the stuff of motion pictures, doesn't it? And that's exactly what this true story will be in September of 2009 with the release of The Informant, a Warner Brothers film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon as whistleblower turned felon, Mark Whitacre. The movie is based on one of several books written about the case.

When the FBI began an investigation of ADM in 1992, Whitacre admitted that he and other executives were involved in a multinational price-fixing scheme. For the next three years, he helped the FBI gather evidence. Despite that, however, Whitacre was convicted in 1998 for wire fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering. The sentence of more than 10 years in prison was considered excessive by many, given his cooperation with the investigation and the fact that he suffered from bipolar disorder (the pressure drove him to attempt suicide at one point). Whitacre served eight and half years, reportedly as a model prisoner. To this day, efforts continue to win a pardon for Whitacre.

Continue reading Financial Felons: Mark Whitacre

Financial Felons: Mark Whitacre originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.