Abstract
In 2001, Martha Stewart’s image was scorched by allegations of an insider-trading scandal that suggested she had cooked up a scheme to sell 3,928 shares of ImClone stock based on privileged information that the company would fail to receive FDA approval of a lucrative cancer drug. Overall, the core aspects of the case and seriousness of the crime were relatively insignificant during a time of major corporate wrongdoing, including the collapse of Enron and WorldCom. Stewart’s powerful home-making image, corporate status, and gender, however, stood out as unique attributes compared to previous and contemporary white-collar offenders. Much of the controversy surrounding her indictment, trial, and sentence was brought about by the intense media maelstrom it created, and gender-related characteristics clearly emerged as variables that contributed to the hoopla. The Stewart case, along with those of other prominent female offenders such as Leona Helmsley, Diane Brooks, and Lea Fastow, offer insight into the historical and current debates surrounding gendered varieties of white-collar crimes.
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Dodge, M. (2007). From Pink to White with Various Shades of Embezzlement: Women Who Commit White-Collar Crimes. In: Pontell, H.N., Geis, G. (eds) International Handbook of White-Collar and Corporate Crime. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-34111-8_18
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