The University of St. Thomas

Ethical Leadership in the Professions Research

The Holloran Center Ethics Program: "Lessons Learned" Speakers

Hank Shea is a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, MN and a Fellow at the School’s Thomas E. Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. Shea, who has specialized in prosecuting a wide-range of corporate and other economic crimes, was a federal prosecutor for 18 years in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the
District of Minnesota, and still serves there as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.

For the last three years, Shea has appeared with more than a dozen white collar felons, most of whom he prosecuted, in more than 30 joint presentations at law schools, business schools, universities, colleges, and high schools, as well as business conferences and public forums. These felons -- former lawyers, government officials, bankers, brokers, and business executives -- are each willing to share their powerful, though often painful, stories of temptation, deceit, indulgence, ruin, and recovery.

The format of these joint presentations is unique and engaging. Shea begins by establishing each person’s background and history. He then draws out the various reasons and motives behind their misconduct and prompts them to describe the many legal, professional, and personal consequences of their offenses, including the impact of their crimes on their victims. They jointly explore the lessons to be learned from each felon’s wrongdoing and how other persons and organizations can best avoid such disasters. Topics discussed range from the importance of mentors and the perils of “willful blindness” to the role of leading by example to establish ethical cultures and the value of integrity, honor, and reputation. Finally, they typically take questions and, time permitting, actively engage the audience in an often robust discussion. Most people leave the presentations with lessons, facts, and impressions that they will long remember.

These dozen felons, and a growing number of others with whom Shea is working, typically have served their sentences and are under no obligation to make presentations. They participate in these events voluntarily and without compensation (except for reimbursement of expenses). While each has personal reasons for participating, most are seeking to make amends for the harms they have caused by steering others towards a different path. These presentations are not a simple descriptive litany of describing transgressions and punishments, but rather a genuine exploration of the often unspoken causes of misconduct and the often misunderstood realities of criminal punishment. For some presentations, the role of apology, forgiveness, and redemption is raised in the context of faith and justice.

Here is a brief list of some of the persons who have made past presentations and who may be available in the future. If you are interested in hosting a presentation, please contact Hank Shea at hjshea@stthomas.edu.

PARTICIPANTS

Stephen Rondestvedt:
LESSONS LEARNED THE HARD WAY

Stephen Rondestvedt, a lawyer, defrauded his vulnerable clients of more than $750,000. After pleading guilty to mail fraud, Rondestvedt was disbarred, sentenced to 46 months imprisonment and ordered to pay full restitution.

John Motschenbacher:
THE DANGERS AND RISKS OF WORKING
IN AN UNETHICAL CORPORATE CULTURE

 John Motschenbacher, the former CIO of BUCA, Inc., a national restaurant chain, was prosecuted for corporate fraud offenses and pled guilty to mail fraud. Motschenbacher cooperated with the FBI’s and SEC’s investigations of BUCA, and as a result, was sentenced to 12 months of home detention, 300 hours of community service, $146,000 in restitution, and a $25,000 fine.

Richard Juliano:
THE CONSEQUENCES OF PUBLIC CORRUPTION: AN INSIDER’S VIEW

 Richard Juliano is a former key aide to former Illinois Governor George Ryan who was charged with mail fraud relating to Ryan's corrupt political activities between 1993 to 1998.  Juliano, a lawyer, cooperated in a wide-ranging federal investigation and pled guilty to a single felony count, later providing key testimony in the trials of the former Governor and his chief of staff. He was later sentenced to four years of probation (including three months of home detention) in the case.

Carolyn Ryberg:
FINDING FAITH THROUGH A FELONY

 Carolyn Ryberg and her spouse, a Human Resources Director for an oil company, engaged in a false invoicing scheme that ultimately caused $1 million in losses to the company. Both Rybergs pled guilty to mail fraud and were sentenced to 24 months and 30 months imprisonment and full restitution, respectively.

Thomas White:
HOW AN ATTORNEY CAN LOSE EVERTHING BY “BORROWING” CLIENT FUNDS

 Thomas White, a well-known Twin Cities lawyer, was prosecuted for misappropriating approximately $100,000 in client funds. Although White repaid the “borrowed” client funds in their entirety once they were detected missing since he had only used them to pay his legal staff and other business expenses during times of “cash flow difficulties,” he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

Jerome Mayne:
LIFE SAVING LESSONS FROM A WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL

 Jerome Mayne was a mortgage loan officer at Norwest Mortgage before starting his own mortgage brokerage company. At the peak of his company’s success, Mayne was indicted by federal prosecutors and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering—crimes that took place four years earlier during his employment at Norwest Mortgage. Mayne served a 21-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to mortgage fraud offenses.

David Logan:
THE COLLAPSE AND REBUILDING OF CHARACTER

 David Logan was prosecuted, along with six others, for corporate and bank fraud offenses as a result of an extensive fraud and public corruption investigation in southwestern Minnesota. Logan was sentenced to 71 months imprisonment, $250,000 in extraordinary restitution, a $250,000 fine, and forfeiture of $250,000.

Don Snede:
LESSONS FROM A BEAT-UP, BATTERED AND BRUISED CFO

 Don Snede was the Chief Financial Officer of Midwest Federal Savings and Loan, the second largest savings and loan in Minnesota with more than $3 billion in assets. Less than six years later, he pled guilty to three federal offenses in connection with the failure and collapse of that institution and testified throughout a six month jury trial against his former colleagues.

Kristine Kelly:
LESSONS FROM A CONVICTED CEO AND MOTHER

 Kristine Kelly owned and operated a successful mortgage company in South Carolina for almost 12 years.  Her participation in a scheme to prepare fraudulent and inflated appraisals of homes led to a 119-count federal indictment. Kelly pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution.