Last night before I went to bed I read Justin Paperny’s Book on his experiences with the judicial system and his crime that ultimately ended in his incarceration.
The book seems so well written and thought out. He laid out his mind and how he slowly dove into situations that led him to incarceration. His credits were impressive at the beginning of the dedication to his family his mother and father, everyone that was possibly damaged or hurt by his actions.
Equally the one note that I really thought on and studied more about was about the fraud triangle. I had never heard this phrase or thought, but after studying this concept more in depth, I realized it’s a very common phrase or circumstance to describe the elements of fraud and how people get tied up or involved in them. I’ve also learned that the fraud triangle has moved into a fraud diamond. These things are not funny but it’s the simple attempt to identify and clearly State without going into great detail things that are common among all those that are getting involved especially white collar crime and how they were led into that circumstance. It was very interesting to me the elements involved in the triangle. Pressure, opportunity, and rationalization. I have studied so many things in general and not in depth. I have so much General knowledge of everything that I hear and see or so I thought. But after reading and studying about this I think it would be imperative whether for Christians and applications in Bible class, or general education to at least hear or be aware of this phrase once in a person’s life. Maybe it was out there but I don’t even remember the principle being expressed. Either way, the lesson is very clear: if one is not aware there are things that can move them into illegal activity. And these things should be avoided in life. Clearly, An open-ended opportunity for money that’s not yours, having situations in your life that create pressures or incentives to do something to take the pressure away. Those two opportunities leading to rationalization of the action seem a very slow and methodical way that a life is taken apart that leads to the crime. This crime is not abrupt like some crimes or not necessarily as intentional. Rather a plethora of events that have led to a decision that is rationalized and then acted upon.
I think Justin did a great job of describing this in his own story and how these things bought him to incarceration. In my opinion, he has given the clearest impression of the fraud triangle I have read. .
