The Ethics Program 

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. Further information regarding these and other participants will be added in the coming months. If you are interested in hosting a presentation, please contact Hank Shea at hjshea@stthomas.edu.

PARTICIPANTS

Stephen Rondestvedt
In 2004, Shea prosecuted Stephen Rondestvedt, a lawyer, for defrauding clients of more than $750,000. Rondestvedt, one of 15 lawyers whom Shea successfully prosecuted between 1998 and 2005, pled guilty to mail fraud following his disbarment and was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment and full restitution. During Rondestvedt’s incarceration, Shea, with the assistance of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, arranged for Rondestvedt to be escorted by a prison official to make seven joint appearances with Shea at public forums and all four law schools in Minnesota. These presentations met with wide acclaim and the message they sent remains just as important today, particularly to law students and lawyers.

John Motschenbacher
In 2006, Shea prosecuted John Motschenbacher, the former CIO of BUCA, Inc., a national restaurant chain, as well as the former CEO and CFO of that publicly-traded company, all for corporate fraud offenses. Motschenbacher, one of dozens of business executives prosecuted by Shea, cooperated with the FBI’s and SEC’s investigations of BUCA and pled guilty to mail fraud. In February 2007, he was sentenced to 12 months of home detention, 300 hours of community service, $146,000 in restitution, and a $25,000 fine. The former CEO and CFO received prison sentences and financial sanctions totaling more than $1 million. Shea and Motschenbacher have made seven joint appearances, including one at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, and with Court permission, Motschenbacher remains available to speak while serving his sentence.

Richard Juliano
In 2002, Richard Juliano was serving as the White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Transportation when he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago for his role in alleged political corruption during the years 1993 to 1998 while serving as a key aide to George Ryan, the former Governor of Illinois. Juliano, a lawyer and University of Chicago Law School graduate, cooperated with the investigation and pled guilty to mail fraud. He later provided key testimony in the trials of Ryan and Scott Fawell, Ryan’s chief aide and Juliano’s mentor. Both Ryan and Fawell were convicted and sentenced to 78 months and 72 months, respectively. In October 2006, in recognition of Juliano’s extensive cooperation, the Court sentenced him to three months of home detention, 350 hours of community service, and a $10,000 fine. In February 2007, in Juliano’s only public appearance since his sentencing, Shea and Juliano explored the genesis and evolution of the Illinois political scandal and the failures and misjudgments that led to the downfall of Ryan and his key aides. Juliano is available for future such presentations, particularly to those interested in careers in law or politics.

Carolyn Ryberg
Between 1999 and 2003, 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. Carolyn Ryberg served her prison time in Alderson,
West Virginia, separated from her spouse and children. Today she describes how a misguided and selfish value system led her down a self-destructive path of criminal wrongdoing and ultimately, apprehension, acceptance of responsibility, and punishment. She addresses white collar crime from the perspective of a woman, a spouse, a mother, and a person of faith by actively seeking opportunities to repent and hold herself accountable so that others might learn from her transgressions.

Thomas White
In 2004, Shea prosecuted White, a well-known Twin Cities lawyer, for misappropriating approximately $100,000 in client funds. Unlike most attorney embezzlers prosecuted by Shea, 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”.  However, under a U.S Attorney “zero tolerance” policy, White was indicted by a federal grand jury for the unauthorized misuse of client trust funds. He acknowledged his fraudulent conduct, pled guilty to mail fraud, and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. Since his guilty plea, Shea and White have made numerous joint appearances at law schools and other educational forums both to describe his misconduct and to convey its severe consequences, including disbarment, disenfranchisement, and disgrace.