Let’s look at Amy Wilson’s embezzlement story, explained here, as another case study of the tragedy of fraud.
I’ve discussed the consequences of fraud extensively on my blogs. Check out the tags here and here . Even compiled those posts into a book, available at Amazon.
Let’s look at some of the consequences Mrs. Wilson has endured and the impact on innocent people she deeply cares about. Here are some things visible in her article:
She is a convicted felon. I doubt that record will ever go away. Accountants rarely have the political juice to persuade a governor or president to grant a full pardon.
She served time in state prison:
I … pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. I served two years and received two years’ credit for good behavior. I’m serving the final two years on probation.
Imaging the pain when her boss confronted her and his visible hurt:
And I have to live with — and will never get over — the look of betrayal in my boss’ eyes when my fraud was uncovered.
She became suicidal:
On a cool morning in March 2009, I checked into a motel to commit suicide.
Fortunately, my suicide attempt failed.
Read the rest of the story and you see how fortunate she was that her attempt was unsuccessful. Yet she still journeyed through that dark pit of despair.
She felt that God abandoned her. It is obvious to me from the article that Mrs. Wilson is a Christian. For those outside that faith tradition, please understand being in a place of perceived abandonment is a horrible, frightening thing.
Certainly, God wanted nothing to do with me, and I figured why not go straight to hell?
Then there is the impact on her family.
Can you even imagine what the conversation was like when she told her husband what she had done?
No one, not even my husband, knew of my fraud. It was all too difficult to face.
How in the world do you tell your children that you are going to prison? And that you deserve it?
Can you imagine having to tell your parents and siblings what happened? Can you imagine the hurt felt by cousins and in-laws?
My husband, my children and extended family had no idea what I was doing. One day I was home, and the next, I was in jail. They were left in shock to try to pick up the pieces of the huge mess I made.
Conclusion here.
Update: here are my posts in this series:
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