A Contract to Kill
As part of an international company’s standard protocol, a background investigation was ordered regarding an applicant being considered for an administrative position. The investigation verified the subject’s JD degree and employment dates; however, further checks revealed that the subject’s most recent employment (in healthcare) was at a rate less than half of the salary for previous employment as an attorney. The subject indicated no reason for the shift in professions, so SI’s research analyst searched online records of the state bar to determine if something was amiss. The state bar reported that the subject was no longer practicing law, but provided no further details. As other elements of the investigation were completed, the full picture of the applicant’s professional history came into focus.
Criminal record searches located a misdemeanor case which indicated that the subject pleaded guilty to a charge of deadly conduct two years prior; the subject was sentenced to one year of jail time (probated), fined and ordered to permanently forfeit the license to practice law. A follow-up call to the state bar authorities revealed that the subject had resigned the right to practice law in lieu of disciplinary action taken by the board in connection with the offense. The deadly conduct charge stemmed from the subject’s offer to kill someone for a fee.
