Ponzimonium How Scam Artists Are Ripping Off America Black And White

In December of 2008, the world learned that legendary investment guru Bernard Madoff made-off with an estimated $50 billion in what was called the "Mother of all Ponzi Schemes." Ponzi schemes, named after Charles Ponzi, are scams in which early "investors" are given supposed returns paid through funds provided by later investors. Typically, an investment is made and then some "profits" are paid out, prompting the investor to assume that his or her money has increased in value. In actuality, the perpetrators of these schemes-Ponzi, Madoff, or the others described in this book-take the money for themselves. The legal term for this kind of taking is "misappropriation." As new investors enter the fraud, supposed returns are offered continually to initial investors, and many times are accompanied by fake account statements. This continues until new money stops flowing in and the investors want their money back. During the 2008 economic downturn, people needed their money back at the same time that there were no new investors. Many "house of cards" scams have fallen and the perpetrators of the swindles have been caught. Charles Ponzi ran these types of scams in the U.S. until he was deported to Italy, his birth-place, in 1934 as an "undesirable alien."

In December of 2008, the world learned that legendary investment guru Bernard Madoff made-off with an estimated $50 billion in what was called the "Mother of all Ponzi Schemes." Ponzi schemes, named after Charles Ponzi, are scams in which early "investors" are given supposed returns paid through funds provided by later investors. Typically, an investment is made and then some "profits" are paid out, prompting the investor to assume that his or her money has increased in value. In actuality, the perpetrators of these schemes-Ponzi, Madoff, or the others described in this book-take the money for themselves. The legal term for this kind of taking is "misappropriation." As new investors enter the fraud, supposed returns are offered continually to initial investors, and many times are accompanied by fake account statements. This continues until new money stops flowing in and the investors want their money back. During the 2008 economic downturn, people needed their money back at the same time that there were no new investors. Many "house of cards" scams have fallen and the perpetrators of the swindles have been caught. Charles Ponzi ran these types of scams in the U.S. until he was deported to Italy, his birth-place, in 1934 as an "undesirable alien."

True stories of crime and punishment that will inform and educate anyone who wants to find out how to identify and avoid becoming entangled in an investment fraud.

Governance is a word that is increasingly heard and read in modern times, be it corporate governance, global governance, or investment governance. Investment governance, the central concern of this modest volume, refers to the effective employment of resources—people, policies, processes, and systems—by an individual or governing body (the fiduciary or agent) seeking to fulfil their fiduciary duty to a principal (or beneficiary) in addressing an underlying investment challenge. Effective investment governance is an enabler of good stewardship, and for this reason it should, in our view, be of interest to all fiduciaries, no matter the size of the pool of assets or the nature of the beneficiaries. To emphasize the importance of effective investment governance and to demonstrate its flexibility across organization type, we consider our investment governance process within three contexts: defined contribution (DC) plans, defined benefit (DB) plans, and endowments and foundations (E&Fs). Since the financial crisis of 2007–2008, the financial sector’s place in the economy and its methods and ethics have (rightly, in many cases) been under scrutiny. Coupled with this theme, the task of investment governance is of increasing importance due to the sheer weight of money, the retirement savings gap, demographic trends, regulation and activism, and rising standards of behavior based on higher expectations from those fiduciaries serve. These trends are at the same time related and self-reinforcing. Having explored the why of investment governance, we dedicate the remainder of the book to the question of how to bring it to bear as an essential component of good fiduciary practice. At this point, the reader might expect investment professionals to launch into a discussion about an investment process focused on the best way to capture returns. We resist this temptation. Instead, we contend that achieving outcomes on behalf of beneficiaries is as much about managing risks as it is about capturing returns—and we mean “risks” broadly construed, not just fluctuations in asset values.

In 1930, Bob Brown predicted that the printed book was bound for obsolescence. The time has come, he insisted, to rid the reader of the cumbersome book. He invented a machine that would allow one to read books and any text extremely fast and in a hyper abbreviated form. He called these abbreviated texts, with em dashes replacing words: readies. He envisioned sending the condensed texts through wireless networks. The Readies, describes these eponymously named abbreviated texts and his plans for a reading machine, but since he printed only 150 copies, the volume is practically unknown outside of a small circle of scholars. With this new edition, Craig Saper hopes to introduce Bob Brown's Roving Eye Press books to a new generation of readers.

Just who was the man whose name has become synonymous with the classic “rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul” scam in which money from new investors is used to reward earlier ones? In December 1919, he was an unknown thirty-eight-year-old, self-educated Italian immigrant with a borrowed two-hundred dollars in his pocket. Six months later, he was Boston’s famed “wizard of finance,” lionized by the public and politicians alike. Based on exclusive interviews with people who knew Charles Ponzi, lent him their money, and exposed him, Donald Dunn’s Ponzi recreates both one of America’s most notorious and colorful financial con artists and the mad money-hungry era in which he thrived.

As economic crimes continue to increase, accountants and law enforcement personnel must be vigilant in expanding their knowledge of ways to detect these clandestine operations. Written by a retired IRS agent with more than twenty years of experience, Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting, Third Edition offers a complete examination of the current methods and legal considerations involved in the detection and prosecution of economic crimes. Explores a range of crimes Following an overview of the economic cost of crime, the book examines different types of offenses with a financial element, ranging from arson to tax evasion. It explores offshore activities and the means criminals use to hide their ill-gotten gains. The author provides a thorough review of evidentiary rules as well as the protocol involved in search warrants. He examines the two modalities used to prove financial crime: the Net Worth Method and the Expenditure Theory, and presents an example scenario based on real-life incidents. Organized crime and consumer fraud Additional topics include organized crime and money laundering — with profiles of the most nefarious cartels — consumer and business fraud and the different schemes that befall the unwary, computer crimes, and issues surrounding banking and finance. The book also presents focused and concrete advice on trial preparation and specific accounting and audit techniques. New chapters in the third edition New material enhances this third edition, including new chapters on investigative interview analysis and document examination, as well as advice for fraud examiners working on private cases, including the preparation of an engagement letter. For a successful prosecution, it is essential to recognize financial crime at its early stages. This practical text presents the nuts and bolts of fraud examination and forensic accounting, enabling investigators to stay ahead of an area that is increasingly taking on global importance.

CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE, International Edition offers intriguing cases, critical developments, and a broad coverage of law and procedures. This eighth edition discusses recent Supreme Court decisions and headline cases, as well as important updates to criminal laws and statutes in the post-9/11 world, including white-collar crime, cybercrime, terrorism, standards of proof, the PATRIOT Act, and much more.