Law Analysis of a Crime (Essay Sample)

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Analysis of a Crime
Edward Gong, a Chinese Canadian businessman, was in 2017 arrested and charged for alleged fraud and money laundering involving hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of investors in his native China and Canada. Edward Gong, who lived in Ontario, had established himself as a health supplement, hotel, and television mogul was charged after investigations into his affairs were concluded  (Savage). Also going by the name Hua Xiao, Gong was convicted of four charges under Canada's law; fraud, uttering a forged document, possession of material property acquired through crime, and laundering proceed of crime. Gong was accused of using Canada National TV and Pharma PLC, two of his companies, to sell securities to Chinese citizens from January 2012 in a fraudulent way.
Gong's crime fits into the victimless crime category. Money laundering disguises the proceeds of crime, integrating them into the legitimate financial system. Social scientists such as criminologists would be interested in the accumulation of empirical evidence to understand the extent and nature of the crime. To better understand the situation, questions on how to formulate a theory around the case will have to be addressed.
For a behavior to be considered deviant, it has to violate social norms and be severe enough to warrant disapproval from most of society (Brookman, and Copes). Edward Gong's nature of crime demonstrates his deviant behavior. Back in China, at least 11 people were sent to prison for their involvement in the fraud, masterminded by Gong. In Canada, Gong was asked to pay a 2.3 million dollar fine, which feels like a slap on the wrist, considering the magnitude of the crimes committed. The fine was too lenient and does not deter similar crimes in the future, especially for a person with Gong's financial ability, who can easily pay the fine