Mad-dog Prosecutors and Other Hazards of American Business [Hardcover]

Zinn Michael (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1999

Legal Issues. In the early 1990s, Besicorp, an up-state New York company dedicated to the development of alternative energy sources, was targeted for take-over by corporate raiders. When Besicorp's founder and CEO, Michael Zinn, refused to succumb to their extortionate demands, these men began a campaign of malicious litigation and character assassination designed to instigate a criminal investigation. Indicted and under severe pressure, Zinn plea-bargained and was sentenced to a term in Federal prison for what was at worst a minor and unintentional regulatory breach. MAD-DOG PROSECUTORS gives a chilling account of the vicious methods used to despoil productive corporations and shows in detail how no one, no matter how prominent, public-spirited, or well-positioned, is safe from unfair prosecution.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a fast read page turner...should be required reading for anyone involved in business, politics, or America's criminal justice system."(ALAN ELLIS (Former President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers)) -- (ALAN ELLIS - Former President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers)

"A compelling story about the misuse of the legal system and the abusive exercise of unchecked power by a federal prosecutor..."(PETER LANGROCK - Former prosecutor, lawyer, author, founding member and past president of the ACLU of Vermont) -- (PETER LANGROCK - Former prosecutor, lawyer, author, founding member and past president of the ACLU of Vermont)

"Every American who cares about justice should read this book." -- ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ (Professor at Harvard Law School and author of

"This bombshell account will open the eyes of those who blindly trust American Justice...a must read for the unwary."(ERIC M. JAVITS (Prominent and politically active attorney, author, and nephew of the late Senator Jacob K. Javits of NY)) -- (ERIC M. JAVITS)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Barrytown Limited; 1 edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581770561
• ISBN-13: 978-1581770568
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,514,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Having Your Day in Court, March 7, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mad-dog Prosecutors and Other Hazards of American Business (Hardcover)

Most people know about the criminal justice system primarily through television shows and newspapers. Those depictions fail to capture the real risk that any citizen is exposed to if government bureaucrats and prosecutors are inundated with accusations against you. Naturally, those who receive the letters assume that where there's smoke, there's fire. Unless you are very lucky, you will end up doing jail time.

I appreciate Mr. Zinn's taking the time to expose what happened to him, so that everyone else can understand the risk that the current system brings to us all. I think you will find his tale to be one that everyone should know.

Although he thought he was relying on legal advice about how to raise money for a political candidate, he was actually being led down the garden path. As CEO of a company under attack from hostile shareholders, the opposing shareholders used the resulting mistakes to get federal prosecutors and the IRS after him. In the process, a company which violated the law more than his company did was given immunity to get testimony against Mr. Zinn. Although this doesn't seem fair, it certainly is the way the system works. Prosecutors also relied on the accusations of people who were trying to negotiate favorable settlements from the company on other matters.

Faced with many unpalatable choices and on the advice of legal counsel, Mr. Zinn chose not to explain himself to the prosecutors. They threw the book at him. Even after he plea bargained to a reduced sentence to get "easy" time in a low security facility, they harrassed him with grand jury dates which meant he had to spend most of this time in maximum security lock-ups and in very uncomfortable transporation.

After he got out of jail, he still had the scheming shareholders to deal with. It turned out that they had found every possible ally who would work with them, and had been stealing information from the company to make running the company harder.

All the shareholders were actually hurt by this because the legal and accounting costs of these investigations ran into the millions of dollars over the years. Also, management attention was diverted from making money.

Despite this, Mr. Zinn did succeed in helping the shareholders make a bundle. Some people made more than 30 times their investment, as a result.

Consider that Mr. Zinn is obviously a very talented, intelligent, and aggressive person. He also had a lot of personal and corporate money to help defend him. If he couldn't figure out what to do and avoid a lot of unpleasantness, what are your chances? Not very good, I'm afraid.

The strength of this book is that Mr. Zinn takes you inside his experiences that led up to and through the problems so you can consider what you would have done. He also shares the emotional turmoil and pain associated with the problems, for him, his family, and for those he worked with.

If you know of anyone who is being investigated, I suggest that you give them a copy of this book. I would also encourage anyone in that situation to find a way to explain themselves to those who are conducting the investigation. Before everyone has drawn a lot of conclusions, there may be some lattitude to avoid worse problems.

There are many other new laws on the books (not discussed in this book) that make the rights of ordinary citizens quite small. I encourage you to become familiar with these risks so that you can conduct your life in ways that will reduce those risks, while finding appropriate ways to get the laws changed.

Live free!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The new "American Way"?, August 4, 2000

By 

Hilary Kent (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad-dog Prosecutors and Other Hazards of American Business (Hardcover)

If the facts are as presented by Mr. Zinn, then the insulated and complacent world I have managed to surround myself with has just blown up on me! You must read this book, because if this debacle has happened to one person, you may depend upon the fact that it has happened to others, and could happen to you. Remember, "Forearmed is forewarned!"

Our Federal Government has become large and sluggish. Many Founding Fathers of our "illustrious" nation fought bitterly against a strong central government, fearing the abuse of individual liberties. Their concerns are being realized. In Mr. Zinn's example, a Federal Prosecutor was negligent in fully reviewing a case before deciding the feasibility of pursuing allegations. If it were my decision, I would not even have bothered with Mr. Zinn, as I am sure there were bigger fish to fry, and more appropriate places to spend taxpayer's money.

I am distressed by the nightmare Mr. Zinn and his family were subjected to. I am disgusted at the total waste of money. And I am scared to death that this type of unfairness is happening more frequently. Whatever happened to Truth, Justice, and the American Way?

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Save our freedoms, Mad Dogs need muzzles., November 29, 1999

By 

Denis E. White - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad-dog Prosecutors and Other Hazards of American Business (Hardcover)

Mr. Zinn's true story is one most will have a difficult time believing. This is due first to the press coverage at the time of his experience and second because it runs contrary to our educated belief in the American way. Mr. Zinn is an excellent writer and he quickly draws the reader into the twisted horror of his not so unfamiliar yet bizarre tale. Much like an action thriller, this story moves very fast. It is however, a real life drama that plays out in unforgiving, believable and frightening text. I am amazed that Mr. Zinn has survived this aggressive business and personal attack and manages to write with such calm passion. I can only hope for a very wide audience so the messages he sends out in his last chapter are heard by a significant segment of our population. Read this book. Wake up to its truth. Participate in the electoral process. This book drives you to act, not complain; to go beyond newspapers and TV; to participate in the details of your life. A must read for all who wish to save the American systems we were taught were ours as citizens of the U.S.