Cleveland, OH criminal defense attorney Jay Milano tells the story of a memorable white collar crime case he handled. He recalls a case from some years back involving the inventor of Mr. Coffee, back when the company was still growing. The inventor had a personal assistant who catered to him like royalty, but behind the scenes, the assistant was stealing extensively. This assistant, who fancied himself a colonel in the Confederate Air Force, bought cars, airplanes, and even cars for friends by manipulating companies into giving them “breaks.” The thefts had a huge impact on the company until they were discovered. Everyone involved was caught, and the assistant was ultimately convicted.

He contrasts this with another high-profile case he handled—the first mortgage fraud trial in the country—which lasted nine to ten weeks. In that case, the government primarily targeted the low-level brokers rather than the big mortgage companies. The large companies admitted they were aware of some of the misconduct but emphasized that their profits were massive, often billions per month. He explains that white-collar crime cases have two major concerns: protecting the companies themselves and pursuing the individuals at the lower levels, who almost always face criminal consequences, while the higher-ups often avoid jail time.