Response Essay

White Collar Crime

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Recent surveys in Western nations have shown an increase in white-collar crimes as compared to conventional street crimes ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"jWSJECUa","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Van Slyke, Benson, & Cullen, 2016)","plainCitation":"(Van Slyke, Benson, & Cullen, 2016)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":2260,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/Q4MG92LK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/Q4MG92LK"],"itemData":{"id":2260,"type":"book","title":"The Oxford handbook of white-collar crime","publisher":"Oxford University Press","ISBN":"0-19-049521-9","author":[{"family":"Van Slyke","given":"Shanna R."},{"family":"Benson","given":"Michael L."},{"family":"Cullen","given":"Francis T."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Van Slyke, Benson, & Cullen, 2016). Since the 1990s, this is the modern era of white crimes and new forms of offending are emerging. In addition, there are also individual cases involving white-collar crimes. This paper will analyze the religious criminal, Pastor Steven Furtick and his white collar offense related to Elevation church.

White-Collar offenders have the different social background and demographic characteristics. For example, street criminals start committing crimes in their earlier ages while white-collar offenders tend to be significantly older to begin their unlawful activity. Another characteristic is their race that can be used to identify the white-collar criminals. Lower-class settings are more common with conventional street crimes while white-collar offenders are predominately white ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"AaqCuihe","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Van Slyke et al., 2016)","plainCitation":"(Van Slyke et al., 2016)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":2260,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/Q4MG92LK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/Q4MG92LK"],"itemData":{"id":2260,"type":"book","title":"The Oxford handbook of white-collar crime","publisher":"Oxford University Press","ISBN":"0-19-049521-9","author":[{"family":"Van Slyke","given":"Shanna R."},{"family":"Benson","given":"Michael L."},{"family":"Cullen","given":"Francis T."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Van Slyke et al., 2016). These white collar criminals are also more educated. In addition, they have a criminal career as they repeat offenses due to their multiple prior contacts with the law. These characteristics can be used to analyze religious criminals.

Mega Churches are stealing a huge amount of money. They have millions of dollars per week that they get from their services as well as from their services broadcasting ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"YyoBp1tW","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(The Young Turks, 2014)","plainCitation":"(The Young Turks, 2014)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":2324,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/5WTUU8QZ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/5WTUU8QZ"],"itemData":{"id":2324,"type":"webpage","title":"HUGE Money Stolen From MegaChurch, But That's Not The OMG Moment","author":[{"family":"The Young Turks","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (The Young Turks, 2014). One such similar case is also shown by Wcnc Newsroom. Elevation church is the largest mega-Church in North Carolina. Its pastor Steven Furtick has done a lot of good such as giving ten million dollars to charities such as for Samaritan's Purse. He is a preacher as well as a celebrity ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"x3b3F4Dq","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Wcnc Newsroom, 2014)","plainCitation":"(Wcnc Newsroom, 2014)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":2321,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/5HCMNXGM"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/5HCMNXGM"],"itemData":{"id":2321,"type":"webpage","title":"Mega Church Money","URL":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CuauPpjqo&feature=youtu.be","author":[{"family":"Wcnc Newsroom","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Wcnc Newsroom, 2014). He has followers that are known as elevators who started from 14 people initially and now have reached to 14, 000 in less than eight years. Moreover, he has his own brand that is having profit from books selling and personal appearances. However, the news of building a 1.7 million dollar home investigation started against Steven Furtick. In one of his sermons, he made an objection on inquiring about his multi-million dollar home. He claimed that he had not built that house from money from the church rather built it from the money that he got from selling books.

However, Cris Roseboro who runs pirate Christian radio from his home which is protest podcast against preacher profiteers does not believe this and does not admit that the job of the pastor is to preach his book. This is the same thing that money changers do. His Elevation Church is not governed by Elders but by a group of fellow megachurch pastor's school. Church documents are also kept secret even from their donors. Moreover, the church members are increasing in number and have reached 14000/week and these contribute more than half a million per week. Furtick also has an advantage that his salary is tax exempted and get house allowances. These tax breaks are detrimental to the church community in the long run.

Therefore, White-collar crimes are found to be lined with a middle-class crime. In these crimes there is cheating, lying: making of incorrect insurance claims as well as all types of tax evasion. In addition, women are also found to involve in these crimes. However, there is a need for further research about the gender dynamics of white- collar crimes. Gilber Geis explains the role of social standing and entitlement in offenders. The main reason for white collar crimes is having the required power. With power, people have the ability to commit such crimes ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"dMOKHX43","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(TheACFE, 2013)","plainCitation":"(TheACFE, 2013)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":2322,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/2TS8RD5Y"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/2TS8RD5Y"],"itemData":{"id":2322,"type":"webpage","title":"Gilber Geis, Ph.D. CFE, on White-Collar Crime","URL":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXdBOU7az64&feature=youtu.be","author":[{"family":"TheACFE","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2013"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (TheACFE, 2013). A common person cannot go for insider trading as he cannot trade. Therefore, this can only be done by a broker or the executive vice president.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY The Young Turks. (2014). HUGE Money Stolen From MegaChurch, But That’s Not The OMG Moment.

TheACFE. (2013). Gilber Geis, Ph.D. CFE, on White-Collar Crime. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXdBOU7az64&feature=youtu.be

Van Slyke, S. R., Benson, M. L., & Cullen, F. T. (2016). The Oxford handbook of white-collar crime. Oxford University Press.

Wcnc Newsroom. (2014). Mega Church Money. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CuauPpjqo&feature=youtu.be