-
Wall Street corruption blurs the lines between good guys and bad guys as this week’s headlines bubble to the top.
Government's Long Enforcement Slumber is Over, says Roy Oppenheim
Unbelievably guilty in the court of public opinion. Now ultimately guilty in a court of law.
The conviction of Galleon hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam on all 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud is a prime example of rampant Wall Street greed and conspiracy.
It’s become clear that bankers took advantage of us all through the tricks and frauds of petty crooks. Ironically, these crooks bankers are now being brought down by the same investigatory wiretap techniques once used only in drug and mob cases. Perhaps “Bankster” is now the appropriate moniker.
Rajaratnam, formerly viewed as a skilled investor and stock market genius, should have stuck to “counting cards.” It’s one thing to make informed, intelligent investments by counting cards through legitimate research and public knowledge. It’s another matter entirely to “mark the cards” through insider secrets, privileged tips and paid informants.
Now, after a mosaic of insider trading and deception has been uncovered, the billionaire Rajaratnam is exposed as a card marker. Consequently, he faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in federal prison.
Not surprisingly, this card marking culture is closely tied to the banks and mortgage-baked securities (MBS) industry that brought down the American real estate market. Banks simply were playing a game they new they couldn’t lose.
(more…)
