There exist several different types of crimes in the world. Some may use force and cause physical injury to the victim while others tend to be gentle, and they can hardly be noticed. However, they all have common objectives and, in most cases, people commit crimes for financial gain or the perpetrator’s best interest and fulfilment. Any crime poses significant threats to the victims, which may include an individual or the entire state. Therefore, it is pivotal for law enforcers to strive and minimize crime rates in a nation. However, regardless of the measures enacted by a country to prevent crimes, some people still indulge in unlawful acts. Fortunately, punishments administered by the judiciary system ensures that criminals pay for their crimes. White-collar, political and organized crimes are some of the offences that rarely use force. However, they still pose significant threats to people’s finances, a country’s economy and general safety. This paper will focus on specific individuals who committed white-collar, political and organized crimes and the sentences each received.
White-Collar Crime- Bernie Madoff
Bernie Madoff is one of the criminals who committed a white-Collar crime through the Ponzi Scheme. He lured investors into his business by promising a massive amount of returns. Bernie never invested the money; instead, he paid the old investors using the new investors' money. Bernie accumulated about sixty-five billion dollars from the scheme before his illegal activity was uncovered in 2008 (Quinseberry, 2017). He was arrested and sentenced to 150 years imprisonment and granted a fine of one hundred and seventy dollars. Furthermore, his two houses and a yacht were auctioned. The victim in Bernie’s crime included the investors who lost their money after he was arrested, and the business collapsed.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Based on the laws, Bernie was a criminal, and he deserved to be punished, however, in my perspective, I feel the sentence was outrageous. Before Bernie’s arrest, none of the investors had lost his money. Therefore, based on my opinion, the court would have focused more on ensuring that the victims received their money back rather than imposing one hundred and fifty years on him. Furthermore, he was already old, and a house arrest would have been sufficient. However, I understand this kind of crime can prompt adverse financial consequences; therefore, the judge had to make such a hefty penalty for warning and discouraging people from participating in such operations.
Political Crime- Ana Montes
Ana Montes committed a political crime that was considered as espionage and was arrested at 2002 a few days after the 9/11 attacks. Her arrest was not related to the 9/11 attacks, but it was necessary for the protection of the entire country. Ana acted as a spy for the Cuban government from the US intelligence community, where she was the Senior Analysts in the Defense Intelligence Agency ( Carmichael, 2017 ). She leaked confidential US military information and consciously distorted the government’s opinions about Cuba. The victims in this scenario included the entire state of America, military team and the then ruling government. Ana was sentenced to twenty-five years imprisonment and subsequent five-year probation.
Based on my opinion, Ana had committed a crime deliberately, and she deserved the punishment imposed on her. However, I feel that she had committed a serious offence that deserved a severe penalty. Ana crime could have caused adverse repercussions if the information she leaked was used to attack the USA. Her crime received this kind of punishment because her intention was not to harm the USA but were based on conflicting ideologies. She did not concur with US’s policies. The judge also included five-year probation to supervise her behaviour.
Organized Crime-William, Filbert and Clarke
William, Filbert and Clarke pleaded guilty in court after committing an organized crime of extorting a specific businessman. The three men presented themselves on the businessman place of work and demanded eight thousand and five hundred euros because they were aware that he was involved with a particular man who had been shot three days ago. The businessman handed over the money, but the perpetrators demanded a further four thousand euros. They blackmailed him that they would inform the press about his involvement in this case. The businessman informed the police and the three men were arrested and pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to three and a half years each.
The perpetrators were all guilty for participating in an extortion crime inform of blackmail. They deserved their punishment. Organized crimes pose threats to the wellbeing of a country’s economy and citizens; therefore, although organized crimes tend to be different, they deserve a penalty ( Scandizzo & Ventura, 2015 ). The judge imprisoned them to three-year imprisonment to indicate the seriousness of this crime. Because vulnerable and innocent people may fall victims to such crimes.
References
Carmichael, S. (2012). True Believer: Inside the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, Cuba's Master Spy . Naval Institute Press.
Quisenberry, W. L. (2017). Ponzi of all Ponzis: a critical analysis of the Bernie Madoff scheme. International Journal of Econometrics and Financial Management , 5 (1), 1-6.
Scandizzo, P. L., & Ventura, M. (2015). Organized crime, extortion and entrepreneurship under uncertainty. European journal of law and economics , 39 (1), 119-144.
