Digging Deeper Episode 5: Varsity Blues

Why do good people do bad things? Why would someone put an otherwise stellar reputation on the line for a few moments of gain? Bob Brenner dives in to decode this behavior with Richard Girgenti, a leading authority on ethics and risk and a trusted advisor to governments and businesses.Despite our best efforts, organizational misconduct and fraud continue to be daunting societal problems. What more can be done? What is missing from current efforts to curb misconduct? Rich and Bob analyze several examples to understand the root cause of malfeasance, drilling into blind spots as well as discussing how individuals build their rationale behind the “F word”—fraud—and other patterns of misconduct. So, what is Rich’s overarching theory on why good people do bad things? And what can organizations do to mitigate this behavior? Tune in to this episode of Digging Deeper to find out.

When natural disasters or crises hit, governments deploy resources rapidly to try remediating current or to mitigate future damage. But who watches where the money goes? Tejah Duckworth spent the early part of her career in the public sector, notably overseeing Rapid Repairs Program in NYC after Hurricane Sandy. She took lessons from the public sector and now uses them in the private sector, most recently helping governments monitor pandemic-related funds. In this episode, Tejah shares some of the key stories from her career and the role of integrity monitoring. Tune into Digging Deeper, episode 9 to hear more.

Lazaro Baez was recently sentenced to 12 years in jail for money laundering in Argentina, charges that connected him to political powers still at large in the country. This international case revealed deeply rooted corruption and strong headwinds against uncovering critical evidence – but that did not stop Mariano Federici, the former head of Argentina’s Financial Intelligence Unit, from continuing to dig in. In episode 8 of Digging Deeper, Mariano shares with Chris Morgan Jones how the investigation unfolded and what the future of related cases may be. As Mariano notes, “When the world is set to cooperate, there is no good place to hide.”

Fraud and corruption can permeate any industry – and as Darren Matthews saw early in his career as a grocery clerk all the way to K2 Integrity’s regional head of EMEA, it can take varying forms. In Episode 7 of Digging Deeper, Chris Morgan Jones and Darren Matthews explore how fraudsters find new avenues to take advantage of a business, and some cases where investigators cracked the code on bad actors.

Jules Kroll is widely credited as the founder of the modern corporate investigations industry, and this episode goes behind the scenes of Jules’ career. What are some of the cases that stick out in his mind over the course of his career? What are the biggest changes for the industry, where is it heading, and what makes a good investigator? Guest host Bob Brenner interviews Jules on this and more in Episode 6 of Digging Deeper.

The headlines from Operation Varsity Blues dominated the news cycle for months – but what happened in higher education after the news trucks left campus? Chris Morgan Jones speaks with David Holley about an investigation the K2 Integrity team conducted in the wake of the Varsity Blues scandal and the ripple effect of the FBI’s initial findings on the broader higher education system.

What changes when an investigator leaves the public sector and joins the private sector? For Brian Cairl, senior managing director and director of investigations of the Americas, his toolkit from his time in law enforcement helped the transition – including those lessons learned from some of the bizarre cases he discusses in this episode of Digging Deeper.

What happens when an investigator stumbles upon a personal detail that leads to professional misdeeds? In Episode 3 of Digging Deeper, Chris Morgan Jones interviews Lisa Silverman about cases where the personal interfered with the professional.

When it comes to scams and frauds, it's not just individuals at risk, but also companies. In Episode 2 of Digging Deeper, Chris Morgan Jones interviews Jordan Arnold about corporate scams, and even talks about cracking the case of a stolen Dali.

Who is behind the Con Queen of Hollywood scam? K2 Integrity's Chris Morgan Jones interviews lead investigator on the case, Nicoletta Kotsianas, about the high-profile scam, K2 Integrity's investigation, and where the case is headed. Listen in to our inaugural episode today. www.k2integrity.com