P2:R1
100 word response 1 reference/intext citation from a website
Due 2/14/2025
Mickens
The Enterprise Theory of Investigation (ETI) is used in special investigations such as organized crime. Since the workings of criminal organizations are broad and involve a network of people, ETI aims at disrupting the communication aspect of the organization by “developing human intelligence and conducting covert operations in order to capture communications between members of the organization and identifying and seizing its assets” (Vecchi, 2004). The goal of the ETI operations is to disrupt, dismantle, and incapacitate the entire criminal organization. In investigating white-collar crime such as corporate fraud or financial crimes, the investigator must first establish that the crime is not an isolated case by one individual but instead has an interconnected component with an organizational structure (McFeely, 2001). The second step is analyzing the flow of funds throughout the organization including suspicious transactions, shell companies, and offshore accounts being used to launder illicit proceeds. Identifying the financial network allows to establish points for disruption. The third step is to utilize multiple sources to gather evidence about the operations of the enterprise. Investigators could use informants, undercover operators, surveillance, and/or document analysis. Four, investigators should target key individuals essential to the functioning of the operation (McFeely, 2001). These could be executives, accountants, or other key individuals with key financial information. Additionally, the investigator should identify vulnerabilities in the internal controls or compliance mechanisms within the enterprise. The next step is to disrupt the financial viability of the enterprise by using legal tools such as asset forfeiture laws and leveraging search warrants to help obtain more crucial documents and electronic evidence to support the fraud claims. Finally, the investigation must collaborate with other law enforcement agencies especially if the white-collar crime is complex and involves multiple jurisdictions.
Investigating white-collar crimes comes with a variety of challenges for investigators particularly in regard to proving intent and navigating legal complexities in corporate settings. One of the challenges is that in most white-collar crimes, victims are often unaware that they are victimized allowing the crime to go on for a long time and taking the investigators time to establish it and convince people of their losses (Brandt). An example is in price-fixing crimes that are even hard to define legally. Investigators could also encounter hurdles within the organization as the perpetrators may try to sabotage their efforts. Brandt (2023) observes that it can even be dangerous especially because white-collar crimes often involve the powerful.
