Criminal Investigation
White-collar crime may go undetected for years until the cover-up falls apart or an insider “blows the whistle.” Investigating white-collar crime requires detective work and analytical thinking.
| Student Name | |
| Course and Section Number | Program of Study |
Criminal Investigations
CJE 1600
Week 11 Individual Work
White-Collar Crime
| Assignment Instructions |
| To complete this assignment:
1. Answer all of the questions below using the space provided. 2. Reflect on the information presented in this week’s lesson and provide an insightful response to each question using several complete sentences. 3. An example of an excellent response is given for you.
|
| Save and Submit to Dropbox |
| 1. Save your work as a Microsoft Word 2010 (.docx) file that includes your name, course code, and title in the file name. For example: JaneSmith_CJE1600_Week11.docx.
2. To submit your assignment, go to the Dropbox and click “Submit Assignment.” 3. Click on the drop-down menu to select the Week 11: Individual Work basket in the Dropbox. |
Objective: Differentiate the investigative process regarding vice and other crimes (such as drugs and white-collar crime).
| EXAMPLE:A family plans an extended trip to Europe. In their absence an individual breaks into their house and rekeys the doors. Property is removed, presumably to sell to a third party. Then, the individual, posing as a real estate agent, presents the home for sale to prospective, “all cash” buyers. A couple buys the home for their retirement and is given the proper documents – title deed, etc. They move in.
When the family returns from their trip, they find the house occupied by the new “owners.” The new people insist that they own the home. They provide the documentation. The phony real estate agent cannot be reached. · What type of crime is this? · How would it be discovered? · How would it be investigated? |
| I believe that this is a type of real estate fraud. The crime would not be discovered unless another party also claimed to own the home. This didn’t happen until the family returned from their trip.
It would take a while to investigate this crime. Unraveling it would involve looking at the original owner’s documentation, the new owner’s documentation, working with the escrow company and the county clerk’s office. It would need to be determined which documents were originals, which were phony, and what signatures were forged. It isn’t likely that the phony real estate agent or that the stolen property will ever be located. During the investigation, the original family would be out of luck. They would need to find other housing. After the investigation, the new owners would realize they had spent their retirement savings buying a stolen house. |
| Example a. What references, if any, were used to assist you in answering the question? |
| Textbook, pages 441-443 |
| 1. The vice-president of a real estate agency is running for public office. He discovers that he needs more campaign funds. He goes into the agency on a Sunday afternoon and writes a check to himself to cover his expenses. When caught, he says, “I intended to pay it back with the next deal I made.”
· What type of crime is this? · How would it be discovered? · How would it be investigated? |
| 1a. What references, if any, were used to assist you in answering the question? |
| 2. A director working in the corporate environment has purchasing authority for $5,000.00. She also has hiring authority for independent contractors. She sets her nephew up as an independent contractor for the company. Then, she assigns work to him and he bills the company for work performed. A whistle-blower discovers that the director is doing the work herself in her free time. The payment checks pass through her nephew’s account and then on to her. She pays him 20% of the invoice for this “service.”
· What type of crime is this? · How would it be discovered? · How would it be investigated? |
| 2a. What references, if any, were used to assist you in answering the question? |
| 3. An individual owns a small financial investment company. Many of his clients are hoping to earn money for retirement. A few of his investments tank.He is sued by his investors for misrepresenting the potential growth of the investments they purchased. They want their money back.
· What type of crime is this? · How would it be discovered? · How would it be investigated? |
| 3a. What references, if any, were used to assist you in answering the question? |
| 4. An individual buys a filling station franchise. The equipment is represented to him to be in good condition. After about two months, a nearby business that sits downhill from the station complains of smelling gas. The owner says that this has been the case for some time and that she was assured that the problem would be taken care of when the new owner took over the station.
· What is going on here? Has a crime taken place? · What can be presumed about the honesty of the seller in this transaction? · What can be presumed to be the cause of the odor? · What liability, civil or criminal, does the new owner have for fixing the problem? |
| 4a. What references, if any, were used to assist you in answering the question? |
……………Answer preview………………
Student Name Course and Section Number Program of Study
Criminal Investigations
CJE 1600
Week 11 Individual Work
White-Collar Crime
………………………………..
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