WHITE COLLAR CRIME FBI
Agreeing with his predecessor the FBI should pursue “quality” investigations, in 1978, Director WILLIAM H. WEBSTER identified White Collar Crime [WCC], Organized Crime [OC], and Foreign Counterintelligence as Bureau priorities. Thereafter, FBI officials quickly identified case code named, “OPFOPEN; Office of Origin: Indianapolis;” as an example of the type of investigation the FBI should pursue—adding the designation “Major Case #1.”
As background information, OPFOPEN concerned two Bureau agents posing as financial consultants whose purpose was to engage and later prosecute globe-trotting conmen who used national borders to evade prosecution and conduct fraudulent transactions. As revealed on his website, JAMES J. WEDICK was one of the FBI’s undercover agents assigned to investigate the OPFOPEN case.
After WEBSTER designated White Collar Crime a national priority for the FBI, the White Collar Crime section attracted some of the Bureau’s most talented investigators and within a short period of time quickly established itself as an aggressive unit. As an example of its effectiveness, in July 1978, the FBI initiated the controversial ABSCAM probe where six [6] members of Congress were prosecuted for soliciting bribes from an FBI undercover agent posing as an Arab-sheik. To further enhance the FBI’s White Collar Crime Program, Director WEBSTER stressed to Bureau executives the agency’s need to recruit special agent accountants, as well as increase the Bureau’s use of conducting Undercover Operations
Since the ABSCAM investigation, the White Collar Crime section has been responsible for pursuing some of the Bureau’s most complicated “undercover” investigations, including Operation GREYLORD that concerned Chicago judges “fixing” cases and Operations LOST TRUST and BRISPEC that concerned state legislators soliciting “bribes.” For his efforts in the BRISPEC case, Mr. WEDICK was nominated to the Attorney General for Investigator of the Year and he was awarded the Director’s Award. In the event you’re seeking a Private Investigator [PI] with a background investigating White Collar Crime, Mr. WEDICK suggests you make contact with him either at his office and/or send a brief email requesting assistance.
