in order to enjoy a long relaxing career, they learned to watch for the “red flags” from corporate entities, things done outside the company’s normal course of business.
With the combination of corporate greed and governmental laziness, men like Harrison Michaels thrived in the business world. Money made the difference. There had to be a lot of zeros on a financial ledger to justify the actions taken by corporate big wigs. Most acted in ways that were unethical, which is irrelevant given that most of their actions were illegal. Money was transferred from one account to another. Benefit and retirement funds were used for purposes other than those intended. Small companies were formed to act as holding companies. All companies with the requisite size and number of employees to justify the risk carried on the practices. Most people think the practices are done to enhance a company’s bottom line. But the truth is the money earned by an enterprising executive on the interest on several millions dollars sitting in a holding company’s account for several months was staggering.
Harrison Michaels controlled several of these holding company accounts. Often executives in the banking industry had an ownership interest in holding companies. Who else besides a banker could transfer money between bank accounts without raising red flags? Besides, bankers are experts in the numbers game and in order to utilize the holding companies without uninvited meetings with government officials, you have to know the numbers game. Obviously the transactions occurring in these holding company accounts were not disseminated throughout the company. The files were kept in Harrison’s office under lock and key. No one was allowed access to the files, not even Harrison’s secretaries. The accountants were only given bottom line figures and all the money was where it was supposed to be at the end of the fiscal year. Only a full-scaled audit would reveal the true nature of Harrison’s business and that would not happen as long as no “red flags” appeared. Therefore now a “normal” transaction had to occur. Money had to be moved back into the pension fund account of Vulcan Technologies.
Vulcan was a huge computer corporation, which primarily assembled computers for various venders. It employed over sixty thousand people across the country and had a pension fund valued in the hundreds of millions. Vulcan’s pension fund invested in a number of companies through the purchase of stock. Others it invested in directly by advancing financing for growth. Much of this financing would sit in an account earning interest. The company would make the payments back to Vulcan’s pension fund, all the while skimming a portion for a select few of the executives of Vulcan and the holding company. Harrison would be included, as well as select members of the outside accounting firm hired to report to Vulcan’s board of directors, accountants who never requested the complete books of the company and prepared their financial statements from the bottom line figures provided by Harrison. The executives were too busy running their companies to be flying around opening numbered bank accounts. Besides as long as each person’s individual account registered a deposit when warranted no one questioned the process. Also company executives did not like to be directly involved because they felt it insulated them if any trouble occurred.
Harrison’s role was to ensure actual account transactions were proper and to take the portion skimmed and place it in off shore bank accounts. He was also the only one who knew the entire picture. To some this would be unnerving but not Harrison. The only way he would be involved was if he had primary control of the process. Harrison had safeguards in place in case of his early death. The only true worry Harrison had was being caught by the Feds. That worry did not involve prison. Harrison figured he could avoid that. Also an indictment would not cost him much financially. The laws did not call for large money penalties and Harrison knew if all else failed he could easily do five or so years in a minimum-security prison while his money sat in a numbered account earning interest. No matter what the government did to him, Harrison knew, they could not touch his money or property unless it was located in the United States or a country which had specific agreements with the U.S. The only real property Harrison had in the U.S. was his house and he didn’t mind losing it.
Harrison wasn’t un-American, he was a businessman. In today’s world that meant he conducted business around the globe, not just in the United States. Harrison could tell you what the financial markets were doing in England, Tokyo and any other place in the world on any given day. He, like many industry giants, had to know these things. Harrison dealt with businesses located in every country. He kept track of uprisings in countries most people didn’t know existed. It was the sheer magnitude of the task that fueled Harrison’s drive. He did not want to be the best he wanted to be the best in the world. His desire to succeed resulted from his childhood.
Harrison was born to a middle class family. His father was an average man who never dreamed of greatness. He worked for an accounting firm for twenty years and barely moved up the ladder. He was what some considered a closet whiner. At work he did whatever menial task was assigned to him without complaint but when he got home, he complained endlessly about how he was unhappy. Even as a child Harrison would listen to his father in disbelief. Harrison could not understand how anyone could live such a miserable life, too afraid to stand up for himself at work and too afraid to strike out on his own. When the eighty-hour weeks finally caught up with his father, who died of a heart attack at forty-seven, Harrison swore he would never let anyone else control his life. It was from that moment Harrison began studying diligently to ensure his success. He had his father’s knack for numbers and was quick to fall in love with business and specifically banking.
Physically, Harrison was not a large person and he knew business would be the key to his success. Sports were out. Harrison wasn’t especially coordinated as a young man and found only slight satisfaction participating in team sports, mainly because he quickly discovered to be successful he was required to rely on others. Harrison noticed most of his teammates didn’t have his drive and commitment to do what it took to win. Oh they wanted to win and whined when they didn’t, but they weren’t willing to sacrifice to achieve their desires. In high school Harrison was somewhat of a loner due to his refusal to participate in sports but his confidence in himself and outward personality made him friends with most of the students. Harrison’s popularity continued through college and enabled him to make the connections that brought him to where he was now - planning a trip to the Cayman Islands to transfer money back into accounts where they were supposed to be all along.
The intercom buzzed to inform Harrison the company jet was ready. Harrison placed the Vulcan file in his briefcase and locked the filing cabinet. He straightened his desk briefly to make sure he did not forget anything. That was one of Harrison’s security devices. His desk had to be in order. It didn’t matter if files were lying on top because Harrison strategically placed them there. Even the newest secretary was warned not to touch anything. Finally he directed his secretary to notify the pilots he would be at the airport in a couple of hours and he expected to take off as soon as he arrived. Harrison also told her to contact him immediately if the board of directors assembled any sort of meeting while he was gone. With this done he called the building’s parking garage, summoned his car, picked up his briefcase and headed to the elevator. Walking out the front of the building Harrison headed toward the parking garage. The young man was pulling up to the entrance with Harrison’s car as Harrison entered. Stopping next to him the young man immediately exited the vehicle and held the door. Harrison climbed inside without acknowledging the lad and sped out of the city. Normally Harrison would have a bag packed and available at his office but with all that had occurred he had forgotten about the need for the trip and did not prepare. He cursed quietly for not being on top of business matters even during this difficult time. The lack of clothes wasn’t a problem. Harrison could run to his house on his way to the airport. If the pilots had to wait they would just have to wait. After all, they worked for him.
Pulling into his driveway, Harrison did not recognize the car parked there. It was a black Crown Victoria. A government car. Harrison tapped on his briefcase and sat in the driveway momentarily. He could not see anyone in the vehicle with its tinted windows. Deciding it was best to confront the situation Harrison got out of his car without his briefcase and locked the doors. He walked directly to the automobile parked in front of him and knocked on the driver’s side window. Harrison
