The Lesson of Scoundrels is ultimately a lesson in crime and punishment. In these pages, we recount the rise and ruin of a number of men—some brilliant, some influential, some even admirable—yet all driven by a level of ambition, arrogance, and greed far beyond what most people ever experience.
Each figure profiled in this book shares a defining flaw: a monumental and unrealistic sense of self-worth, coupled with a streak of pure, unrestrained greed. These men reached for the golden ring every time it swung within reach—and whether the ring belonged to the public mattered not at all.
White-collar criminals do not kill with guns; instead, they steal, deceive, and betray. They defraud the very people they were elected or appointed to serve, believing that their status grants them immunity. And yet, in almost every case, these scoundrels were not entirely evil. Many did good, cared for their families, and served loyally—until temptation became too strong to resist.
What drove them to throw everything away? That is for the reader to decide.
We will tell you who they were, what they did, and the price they ultimately paid in the courts of law. Most of them were lawyers who conveniently forgot their lessons in ethics. None allowed morality to stand in the way of easy money.
Nearly all the men in this book were charismatic politicians—gregarious, persuasive, and electric on the campaign trail. Many rose to the rank of governor. All held positions that allowed their hands to slip easily into the people’s cookie jar.
This volume offers only a small sampling of the vast landscape of political corruption. The truth is sobering: the percentage of elected officials who have never abused public trust is frighteningly small. Likely fewer than twenty percent. The only thing separating the average corrupt politician from the scoundrels exposed in this book is simple—
the others just haven’t been caught yet.
Behind this epidemic of corruption lies a tragic flaw in our political system—and in human nature itself. Honest, capable, intelligent men rarely want to endure the public scrutiny and misery of political life. And because of that, we, the people, are the ones who lose.
Robert Firth
Customer Reviews
“Mr. Firth, your book is remarkable. I had no idea. The media has hidden all this. My God! These people are monsters. They are the absolute shit of the earth. Especially Frank and Dodd. They need to be killed!”
— Ruth Ann Martin, Toms River, NJ
“Captain Firth, I read Scoundrels and have to tell you, you hit the nail on the head. These men you talk about are just the tip of the iceberg. The political system is beyond broken… It's unfixable… We need to tar and feather these ‘scoundrels’ and run them out of town.”
— Henry Whitehouse, Wilmington, Ohio
