I believe that character is best defined by what we do when we are faced with adversity.  In 2010, I faced something that I never imagined possible.  I plead guilty to wire fraud.  Was it due to a scheme or plan I devised to take advantage of someone?  NO!  Did I receive any real tangible benefit from the crime that would motivate me to participate?  NO!  Did I commit a crime?  YES!  Now I bet you are really confused.  The bottom line is that there does not have to be a benefit to you or a plan to commit a crime.  A crime can be committed even if you have good intentions.  In business, we make critical decisions on a daily basis.  Sometimes we may be faced with hard decisions that have to be made in the spur of a moment.  That is part of what happened to me.  I had a tough decision that I had to make regarding a real estate deal.   I discovered that a staff member was closing the transaction improperly.  Whether the staff member knew it or not I have no idea.  I like to believe that she did not understand that there was a problem with the transaction.  In a short moment, I had to decide whether or not to let it close.  I made the wrong decision by letting it close and it cost me my career.  It did not matter that I fired the client and made sure my staff knew that a transaction could never be closed like that again.  I chose the easy solution and let it happen.  I am sure I thought that it was one transaction and nothing would ever come of it.  I probably thought that the investor would rehab and sell the property... No harm no foul....Right?... Wrong! 

    Already you should be able to see two real problems that led to my crime... "Poor staff management" and "A bad decision at a critical moment".  Along with these problems there was another element that led to my crime..."Ignorance".  Let me make this point very clear to you... Not knowing something is illegal is not an excuse for criminal liability!  Also, just because you have seen someone else do something does not make it okay!

    Now, you may be viewing what happened to me as a tragedy.  Perhaps you are even feeling sorry for me.  DONT!  What happened is in the past!  What I do with this is what matters now!  As I said earlier... Character is defined by what we do when faced with adversity.   I am very proud of the manner which I dealt with my situation.  I cooperated and took full responsibility for my actions and those of my staff.  In the very early stages of my dilemma, I made the decision that I would speak to any group that would listen about my crime in an effort to use my problem for something positive.  I decided that I would educate others so they would never find themselves in a situation like mine.  

    You may not view this as a success story, but I promise you it will be!  On December 20, 2011, I was released from BOP custody.  If you view my past speaking engagements, you will find that since my release, I have already spoken to two vastly different audiences (Ocean Lakes High School and Elon School of Law).   My programs can be easily tailored to virtually any type of audience.  They are perfect for any size business, investment club, high school, college, or graduate school.  You will find them to be inspirational, informational, motivational, as well as entertaining.  Feel free to contact me directly about speaking to your group via the "Contact Stephen"  page of this site.  Remember,  in my wildest dreams I never thought this would happen to me.   Listen to what I have to say, and ensure that it never happens to you!