The Oldest Trick in the Book: 'Not a Crime to Party'
Let's follow the trail: FIRST INSTANCE: The 'Good Company' Defense (1960s) The tactic of minimizing association with unsavory characters by claiming 'it wasn't a crime merely to know them' isn't new. Consider the Mob. Powerful figures in politics and business frequently socialized, even did business, with known organized crime figures. When exposed, the defense was often that these were
'legitimate businessmen' they encountered in social settings or through 'mutual acquaintances.' The 1963 McClellan Committee hearings, which investigated organized crime, often faced this exact deflection when high-profile individuals were linked to mobsters like Meyer Lansky or Frank Costello. The message then, as now, is that mere presence doesn't imply complicity, overlooking the systemic
nature of such relationships. REPETITIONS: The BCCI Scandal (1980s) & Enron (2000s) Fast forward to the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal in the late 1980s and early 1990s. BCCI was dubbed the 'Bank of Crooks and Criminals International' due to its global money laundering, drug financing, and illicit arms dealing. Numerous high-profile politicians, intelligence officials,
and business leaders were found to have accounts or close ties with BCCI executives (NYT, 1991). The defense? Often, it was that they were unaware of the bank's true nature, or that simply depositing money wasn't a crime, even if that money facilitated heinous acts. Decades later, with Enron, the same pattern emerged: executives and politicians maintained 'legitimate' relationships with key