Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Pyramid Schemes: An Exploratory Study Into An Emerging Form Of White-Collar Crime, Matthew V. Carter

Theses & Honors Papers

This project was conducted to explain why people engage in white-collar crime with specific attention given to the rationales and motivations by individual participants in a pyramid scheme.

This exploratory case study utilized existing files from a law enforcement investigation as well as newspaper articles that covered the investigation.

Qualitative data in the form of content analysis of these secondary data sources was used to capture themes related to the rationales and motivations behind a person becoming involved in a pyramid scheme. These investigative files and newspaper articles represented statements made by persons who became involved in this emerging form …