"The moral of the story is that without a strict ethical compass, executives run the real danger of rapidly getting onto the slippery slope, they get away with minor infractions, and by the time they wake up, they have become down to earth felons."
Zeev, I was an auditor for the Fed's for more than a decade. What you described above was the most common issue in every fraud case I worked. It usually started out with them misusing small amounts (from the overall size of the company's POV, but rather sizeable from the individual's POV) and they don't get caught.......... Or it's not worth prosecuting because the amount involved &/or the evidence make it unlikely to get a conviction. After all, these guys are quite intelligent. They knew how to play games, manipulate, etc.
They get away with it.
They keep doing it.
Then they get greedy & start taking or misusing more........... and get away with that too.......... so they go for more........ and more....... By the time I arrive, it's become real hard to hide anymore.
One other common thread was that it seems stealing/misusung company assets becomes addictive. These guys often continued their evil ways after I arrived & was hot on the trail. It did make my job much easier though.
Too bad they never really paid fully for their crimes.
AI
