Fraud detection suicide: the dark side of white-collar crime
| Date | 03 October 2016 |
| Pages | 786-797 |
| Published date | 03 October 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-09-2015-0043 |
| Author | Richard G. Brody,Frank S. Perri |
| Subject Matter | Accounting & Finance,Financial risk/company failure,Financial crime |
Fraud detection suicide: the dark
side of white-collar crime
Richard G. Brody
Anderson School of Management, University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, and
Frank S. Perri
DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of suicide, a violent act against one’s self,
as it relates to white- and red-collar crimes. White-collar crime can be described as nonviolent crime
committed for nancial gain. Red-collar crime describes a situation where a white-collar criminal
commits an act of violence, often murder, to silence someone who is in a position to report a fraud they
have perpetrated. Previous research has not addressed the issue of suicide, as it relates to white- and
red-collar crime.
Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is conceptual, focusing on the historical
underpinnings of white- and red-collar crime and reviewing the evolution of white-collar criminals.
Sources of information consisted of published news media, scholarly articles and articles retrieved from
the web.
Findings – A suicide may be linked, directly or indirectly, to a nancial crime. Law enforcement must
be careful not to jump to conclusions, as there is a possibility that a staged suicide has occurred.
Originality/value – Law enforcement individuals may want to consider an additional motive when
investigating a suicide, especially when the victim has some type of connection to a known fraud. This
type of connection may not be readily apparent and may require a new approach on the part of a law
enforcement investigation.
Keywords Suicide, White-collar crime, Red-collar crime
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
To outsiders, Darrin Campbell was the picture of an unassuming prosperous executive.
However, records show that Campbell was at the center of a securities fraud scandal that
accompanied the collapse of Tampa-based Anchor Glass Container Corporation, then
the third-largest manufacturer of glass containers in the USA (Jamison, 2014).
Shareholders accused him and other executives of failing to disclose nancial
weaknesses before a public stock offering, leading to lawsuits and a multimillion-dollar
settlement. As part of the settlement, Campbell did not have to admit wrongdoing. Yet,
after this incident, there were speculations that perhaps Campbell and his family were
having nancial problems. Campbell can be seen purchasing items that he would
eventually use to kill and burn their home with. Campbell, with a handgun, eventually
executed his 51-year-old wife, his 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter before
burning down the family’s home and shooting himself in the head. What transformed a
49-year-old executive into a methodical killer who eventually committed suicide?
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
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JFC
23,4
786
Journalof Financial Crime
Vol.23 No. 4, 2016
pp.786-797
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1359-0790
DOI 10.1108/JFC-09-2015-0043
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