Alleged con men Bernard Madoff, Greg Manning and Marc Dreier are offered the benefit of the doubt by assuming alcoholism. No excuse, just one possible explanation that fits.
Under watch:
I have long maintained that if 80% of felons are alcohol and other-drug addicts, a similar percentage of those who commit white-collar crime—including those who perpetrate Ponzi and other con artist-type schemes—are also addicts. Charles Ponzi was an alcoholic. The behaviors suggest that those listed below are as well (and if not, they are likely children of particularly emotionally abusive ones).
Unfortunately, the number of celebrities outed as alcohol or other-drug addicts are inversely proportionate to the number of attorneys, businessmen and politicians who are not. Occasionally we run across a non-professional con artist, in whom we are more likely to have a chance at confirming addiction. We might argue there should be no difference in the incidence of addiction ...
