Martha Stewart was found guilty of insider trading, which basically means that she traded a companies stock on the market with confidential information not known to the public. Depending on when you do it, determines whether it is illegal or not. Martha's actions caused thousands of investors to lose their money. This included people's life savings, college funds, and other money related savings. Money plays a huge role in people's lives today. Since people were losing that, it really had an affect on themselves, their marriages, and families. What Martha did was a punishable act of crime. She ended up serving five months in prison, five months in home confinement, with two years of probation. She was later found to be back on television like nothing ever happened. According to Labeling Theory, instead on Martha being labeled a felon, she broke her label by using her connections. If the average person today was released from prison, they would not be able to get a job and would be recognized as a criminal. Martha on the other hand, was released from prison and had no problem going back to her television show making millions of dollars. Nobody considers Martha as a felon today only because she rejects the label society tried to stick her with. Bry001
Its sad that celebrities and people with power can get away crimes like this all the time because they are famous. Celebrities should have to pay for their crimes just like everybody else. I honestly didn't know about this scandal until a couple of years ago because Martha Stewart has the money and power to reject the "felon" label and goes about her day acting like it never happened.
I agree completely, these people lost everything they had, Savings, College funds, etc. Money is held to such an important piece of living today, that after losing it people lost homes, cars, relationships, even their own life. Martha in my eyes is a murderer. But to some who reject the label she should have see her as a role model or a celebrity. Broncos001
Its sick that just because someone is high class they can screw up peoples lives and not get in trouble for it. like you said she has caused investors life savings college funds and even families to break up. If you have money it seems that you can do whatever you want. Godzilla001
When it comes to the Martha Stewart case it still truly blows my mind. The fact that someone can be convicted of insider trading which has a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $5,000,000 fine and only received 5 months in prison. All of that happened because Stewart received a tip from her brokers assistant saying to sell her stock in ImClone because of the FDA shutting down their newest drug. She only would've lost around $47,000 which is a microcosm of her true wealth. But instead of just cutting her losses she tried to cheat the system and screwed over thousands of people that were her investors. They all lost essentially everything because she was so greedy and tried to cheat the system. Even worse nowadays people don't even think of Martha Stewart as a felon because she has so much power and resources that she could effectively reject that label the court system formally gave her. RRM001
I agree with you, it also blows my mind as well. If this was any person other then a rich person with in the public eye like Martha, they would had served much more time. GRUNT001
i dont understand how you only get 5 months of prison time and it probably wasnt even bad prison stay probably nice get way for her who knows but she should have done couple years paid the familys back she messed up cowboys001
What boggles my mind is how a loss prevention of only about forty six thousand dollars could have caused so much financial devastation to multiple people. Depending on the number and class of people she pushed her stock off on it would be hard to believe that amount of money could have a life altering effect on someone. She still did wrong by knowingly and deliberately setting others up for failure, and she deserved to be labeled a felon for the trading and lack of integrity in a court room. She probably deserved more for what she did, but unless she offloaded it all onto one poor person the act doesn't seem as harmful to others as described in class. CoolGuy001
White collar crime in not a victim less crime. This unfortunately happens way too often. The person who sells their stock or does this insider trading doesn't realize the thousands of peoples lives they have ruined. Its awful that she only served 5 months and had 2 years probation for this crime because she was greedy. People lost their money, homes, cars, and some even killed themselves because Martha wanted some cash. I didn't even know about this scandal until a couple years ago because she has so much money and power that she rejects her label as felon. All to often we see celebrities placed upon a pedestal which makes them seem like they are above everybody else. And because they have this money, power, and talent they can reject any negative label given to them.
I Agree this had such a harmful turn out yet as a society we turned a blind eye to act as if the event never took place. We need to be more responsible for the actions taking as a nation for individuals who trap others just to achieve personal success. Eagle001.
It is very sad to see someone so evil get away basically free and the families she had affected are suffering from her selfish decisions to maximize her money and not worry about the rest of the citizens and the affects it will have on their families. The worst part is most of society or the people who werent affected by this dont even see it bike001
This is all one giant example of how someone can use their connections to help themselves. By Martha only being sentenced 5 months in Prison and the fines that were charged to her were barely a dent for her, she made off with what seemed like a slap on the wrist. Then after all of this for her to be back on TV like nothing ever happened amazes me. What if this were someone not famous or a celebrity? The sentence would have been longer, and after they would have a hard time making money if they ever got out due to them being a felon. We need to remember that these celebrities are people just like us and no matter what their name is or how much money they have, they should be held to the same standards as the rest of us. After learning the Labeling theory you would think that she would not have a show, etc. But no, because of her status people do not associate Martha with the word Felon. What people do not realize is that people invested everything they had into this company when the sellers knew it was going to fail but to save their own behinds, they took the money from people who were not in the financial situation to lose all of it. Broncos001
I agree with you because why would she commit the crime anyway, she just did this because she thought it would be right and no one would find out she did it. Golfer001
I agree with you on this because she did for her self and she did and try to see if nobody would find out that she did the insider trading but I guess they did find out that she did this. Golfer001
I agree completely. Martha got off way to easy and should have had a much more severe punishment. And when she was released from prison she should not have been able to get back to her life like nothing ever happened. This is a prime example of how money, power, and connections can get you off the hook. 7point62001
Its hard to believe that she did the insider trading and its wired where she started from like making cook books and furniture products and to hosting a TV show. Then she went to prison for Five months for insider trading which was illegal and she got busted for doing it and if you do the crime you got to do the crime. She thought that she was doing good by making stuff that just got her into a heap of trouble with the law. Its hard to see celebrities go from being a successful TV host making her own stuff, to being caught of insider trading and sent to prison for 5 months and being fined a lot of money out of her wallet. Golfer001
I don't understand why if anyone had an idea that her and others pulling out of the stock for IMClone why anyone still choose to knowing that it would have a traumatic effect on others and their lifestyles. I, also don't understand why as a society we welcome her with open arms after she served time even through her decision had ruined others lifes or even that the CEO for the company had info that the company was not funded by FDA yet still choose to info hidden that could have help others adjust. Such a shame what money, and popularity can do for individual. Eagle001.
This was a great video to watch, there was a great amount of information about the Martha Stewart case. I do not like the fact that after all the damage she caused with all this that she only served a very small amount of time and then even when she got out of prison as now a felon, that she is right back on the T.V like nothing even happed. I really disliked the Martha living in prison page they did on the magazine and how they started making fun of the prison life saying things like strips are the new black, 101 toilet paper crafts projects, beautify your linens using human hair. I feel that was very disrespectful. Making a joke out of what was done should have never happened. GRUNT001
I completely agree with how well put together the video is and how informative it is. The disrespect given in the magazine was so uncalled for and just not necessary. The fact she is still on tv disgusts me and makes me wonder why she still has fans as a felon. Cubs001
I liked this video because i really didnt know anyting about her i didn't realize she was so big and rich and in 1990s she invested money didn't want to lose her ass on it so she pulled her stocks kinda be hide everyone's back and i cant say that i wouldn't want to try and save my own ass if that was me but i have a heart and by her doing that she ruined lots of life and probably other company's and besides her and maybe one other guy there careers are gone now the only person that still came out a head which i think is bull crap is Martha because this only made her bigger because her face all over the tv so yea she had to do prison time and pay fines but you think that really hurt her compared to the other people i mean she probably learn her lesson and people mess up but like someone else said he do the crime you do the time should have to pay the family's back but i think people should learn from this to not do inside trade or watch were you invest at but comes down to it she has little power and money so she got barley and time if that was me i stil be in jail.cowboys001
That is an interesting point you bring up. I'm sure many people would try to save their stocks when threatened but the extend to her actions were extreme. You have to wonder if she knew the impact it would cause at the time she decided to commit this crime. Jah001
Martha Stewart was caught in an insider trading scandal with a company that she owned stock in called ImClone. When a few of the high profile owners of the company discovered that their drug would not be FDA approved they decided to sell their stocks so they would not loose all their money. This caused the company’s stocks to drop, which caused thousands of other investors to loose a lot of money; life savings, college funds, etc. Martha was convicted and served 5 months in prison. When she was released from prisons she was not labeled a felon like labeling theory suggest she would be. In fact she was right back on TV in no time at all, and she continued like it had never happened. I had no idea that Martha was a felon until we disused it in class. I was telling some of my friends about it and none of them knew anything about it either. This is a good example of how someone with connections, money, and power can over come being labeled as a felon. 7point62001
When Martha Stewart acted on the tip given by the CEO of ImClone to sell all of her stock in the company before it went into ruin, she had committed the crime of insider trading. Insider trading is basically the purchase or sale of a stock based off of insider knowledge from inside the company. Insider Trading and other corporate crimes are known as "white collar" crimes, which are the type of crime perpetrated by the higher business class over the working class. People who are found guilty of white collar crimes are typically less stigmatized than those guilty of blue collar offenses even if the outcome of those crimes are similar in nature. The reason for insider trading carrying such a light punishment in comparison to other crimes could be because most see it us trading using an unfair advantage in what's supposed to be a free market, which while deviant is not as bad as grand larceny or selling drugs. When in reality the person doing the insider trading is deliberately taking the consequences of their misfortune and pushing them onto someone else who is unaware of the consequences. Effectively stealing their money and assets like in a burglary or theft. Another reason Marth could have gotten a lighter sentence could have been her celebrity status and wealth. Many people see her as America's Sweetheart, and under the labeling theory of deviance an act is deviant because it is so labeled by society as deviant, so seeing a highly regarded member of society committing a deviant act could get people to remove some of the severity from the act committed by her. Labeling theory comes from the social conflict theory of sociology, which was developed by Karl Marx, who blamed most of society's issues on the rich and powerful. CoolGuy001
Martha Stewart was guilty of white collar crime. Martha moved around funds when she learned that there was a way to not only avoid losing money, but also make a profit. Martha and her adviser were found guilty and sent to jail. Usually when someone is a convicted felon, they are labeled a felon and have a hard time getting a job when they get released. Since Martha was so powerful and wealthy she was not only able to reject that label, but also was back on TV in a matter of months. The system is run by wealthy people, so when a wealthy person gets in trouble it doesn't have the same effect it would on the average population. Labeling the poor can ultimately ruin peoples lives. Jah001
I agree with you, martha stewart just walks free and can carry on with her life. But someone like me and you we would have trouble getting a job and even having a normal life would be difficult for us. I'll never understand the "good" some of the justice system does. -dicaprio001
Martha got in trouble for insider trading after the CEO of ImCLone informed her that the FDA denied them the right to work on a certain drug. He told her and other close friends about the impending doom and to get out before it's too late. Even though she knew the stock was going to crash she decided to push the crippling debt on to other people. People lost their life savings because of her. Some people lost their house their cars and their families and kids lost the opportunity for a good college education because of Martha. Martha served only a few months in prison for the atrocity that she has caused. She is in the upper class of our society so what did we really expect of this? If you have money in this world then you can do whatever you want. Godzilla001
Its sad that if you have money and fame that you can get off with serving less time or not dealing with the criticism that normal people would have to endure. Even if you are famous and have money, you should still do the time that a normal person would get. hawkshockey001
This is one thing that I will never understand. People like Martha Stewart, wealthy and gets away with committing a crime. And a crime that wasn't petty by any means, it was a white collar crime. (insider-trading). That is a big fat felony!! You know if one of us regular everyday people (not rich) we would be sitting inside a federal prison right this moment. And when we got out we would be struggling to get back to a normal life, but where is martha? Right back on tv! This reminds me of a big case that's going on right now, Brock Turner. A privileged white kid who went to stanford. Brock got charged with three counts of felony sexual assault. 1.rape of an intoxicated person 2. rape of an unconscious person 3.assault with intent to rape an intoxicated person 4.sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object & 5. sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object. I know i said three but why and the hell not let's list all of the charges! Turner was only sentenced to six months in county to be followed by three years of probation! But guess what happened he only served about three of those months and is out now on probation! How is that justice? Now i know those are two way different cases but, its both in a way similar! They both did something awful, and they both got light sentences and both are now just right back on the streets like nothing happened. When the people they affected are going to have to live with the consequences of their crimes. This system is ran by money the only thing our world sees is dollar signs! I'll never understand the logic in that. -dicaprio001
Sadly your'e exactly correct. The number one motivator for almost anything in today's world is money. And having it allows you to sidestep things that would become obstacles if you were a regular citizen. But it isn't going to change anytime soon so we have to adapt and make sure we avoid the type of issues that only money can solve. Edgarallen001
dicaprio001 i agree with you! People who are charged with a white-collar crime deserve to be treated as they are, which are felons. They should not be allowed to get off almost scott-free and should also struggle like any other person who is put through the system. The system truly is ruled by money, and it sucks but it won't be changing anytime soon. agentp001
Martha Stewart committed a crime that ruined countless lives and even took a few lives. She got an inside tip that her shares in a medicine company were about to drop due to the denial of a drug by the fda. She sold all of her shares breaking inside trading laws and ruining lives. She served only five months in prison and came back out and started up her own tv show and acted like nothing ever happened and that she didnt ruin countless lives. Martha got special treatment and her label as a criminal was broken because of her socioeconomic status and television fame. Any other person would not get out so quickly and be able to still make a name for themselves like Martha did. She merely got a smack on the risk compared to smaller crimes that the average citizen would have gotten. Society has labeled her as this family friendly T.V. star but in reality she has torn families apart. I think that it is wrong because she did not face the consequences that anyone else who had committed similar or less severe crimes. Bike001
This is a perfect example of what happens when people with money aren't held to the same standard as those without it. Martha Stewart is a criminal. People died because of her. Her punishment wasn't as bad as it should have been. Much like Hillary Clinton Martha Stewart is able to reject the label of felon or criminal through her money and influence. The crime she committed had little to no effect on her career or her personal life. people need to be shown that these actions aren't acceptable regardless of social status. The system is more often than not working for the rich. Sadly the system is probably not going to change anytime soon. it's been in effect for too long. Playing into their hand for too many rounds. The rules don't apply to people with money the same way they apply to us. So the next time an A-list celebrity catches a charge or gets arrested pay attention to how it plays out. because it won't go the same for you. Edgarallen001
I completely understand your frustration in this. Why do people flock back to a woman who committed these crimes? How in the world does she have so many followers? This celebrity god like complex will get our society into deep trouble. Now it’s watching people make criminal acts what else will celebrities be able to do and get away with in the future? It’s a scary thought how some people just seem to be so untouchable even to the justice system. BabyB004
What I don't understand is that did she not think she would ever get in trouble? She thought that she would be able to do this and just get away with it with out anyone knowing? She ruined many peoples live by doing what she did. The fact that she only did five months to is ridiculous. And after getting out of prison she was still able to have a tv show. There are many things wrong with this whole situation, but because she was Martha Stewart she didn't have to deal with any of the labels that other people would have to deal with. There are probably many people who still love her today. hawkshockey001
This absolutely blows my mind. I of course knew about the Martha Stewart scandal, but I did not know it in depth or detail. She had gotten in trouble for insider trading, for moving her stocks after the rumor of the FDA disapproving the new drug at ImClone. This shows a great deal of how anyone who has quite a bit of money can get away with just about anything. Martha and her cohorts had ruined the lives of so many people, people that they had trusted and worked with. Because of Martha and the others involved in the scandal, people committed suicide. This is not a laughing matter to see that she only served 5 months in jail. JAIL. She didn't even serve in prison, but jail. Then she was released and put on house arrest or whatever. If this were another situation, she would have gotten more time and would have gotten in a lot more trouble. This is the prime example that people with money are held to a different standard and that the rules don't always apply to them. If they are to break the rules, their punishment is not nearly as harsh. In this situation, the system seems to be working for the rich, catering to them. It's very unsettling. agentp001
I agree with you 100% Throughout highschool, i heard minimal conversations about Martha Stewart and i knew what she did but not in depth. I had no clue the amount of people she negatively affected and how her outcome turned out. It's unfair to those closely related and those who lives were lost. Martha Stewart is a perfect example as to proving that wealthy people are offered more leeway and, with proper resources and wealth, are capable of overcoming such labels. behappy001
I agree! it's amazing that rich people like Martha Stewart think that they can just get away with anything and everything. Judges in these cases need to treat these people just like the Joe Smoe they deal with in other cases. It's not fair to anyone involved. EKT001
In today's society, we hear more and more people complaining about the fact that, "people selling weed get more time versus those who commit more serious crime." As unsettling as it, this is not a situation that has recently arisen. Martha Stewart ruined and ended so many lives; her punishment did not reflect that. In March 2004, Stewart was guilty for felony charges of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators. She only served a five-month term in a federal correctional facility. In theory, after being released Stewart should have been socially ostracized and hated around the world, instead she ended up beginning her own TV show. Many people committed suicide and lost their life savings but because Stewart was wealthy and had wealthy resources, from an outsiders standpoint you'd never know. It's gut wrenching. behappy001
I think what Martha Stewart did was wrong I just haven't found the connection of her personally ruining all of these peoples lives. What she did was wrong but the CEO caused most of this to happen. He and his family sold 70.3 million dollars worth of shares which tanked the stock Martha Stewarts 46,000 dollars worth of shares didn't cause the stock to plummet. The FDA not approving the trial for terminally ill patients with 60 days left to live is odd as well, especially when two years later they approve the same paperwork??? Odd their are a lot of things in this case that really have made me angry, but Martha Stewart isn't at the top of that list. If anything her star-power brought the media's attention to the corruption going on in this company. I don't know what to think after researching all of this but their is tons wrong with this company. Especially after all of this the company was sold for 70 dollars a share to ELi Lilly for an enormous profit for the people who were arrested for the insider trading??!?!? Dadoftwo001
Again, I feel like the criminal justice system failed. Is it because she is a celebrity that she got away with a short prison sentence? It is insane how one person’s thoughts and actions can hurt so many people’s lives. I believe where the convicted definitely screwed up is with Martha Stewart and her crew attempting to perform a cover up. With today’s technology there is very little chance of getting away with anything! This just goes to prove that they actually were at fault. Another thing that caught my attention was her statement about “I do not think I will be going to jail”. So at this point she knew she covered everything up and I expect that she thought she was safe. The attitude Martha Stewart portrayed was shocking like she could not be touched, it was ridiculous. Again with the celebrity god complex, which I do not understand why they think they are above the law. BabyB004
I agree with you BabyB004, it is insane that these high profile individuals feel they can do whatever they see fit. Unless sentences get stiffer and penalties higher, these people will continue to feel they are above the law.mommy001
I agree that what Martha Stewart did was unethical and wrong. I believe her sentence fit her crime. After researching the actions of Martha Stewart more closely she was convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. Although it wasn't proven her broker who was also the CEO of Imclone a cancer drug company were acquaintances as he dated Martha's daughter for a time. Now the Martha's broker and the Ceo of Imclone used the same broker is how the connected Martha's sale of her shares. Martha who did own $240,000 worth of shares did illegally save herself $46,635 by selling two days ahead of the FDA ruling striking down the cancer drug Erbitux which caused the founders of the company to sell of 70.3 million in shares which caused the stock to plummet from 65.88 to 6 dollars a share. Now I will say that what the companies CEO is horrible and what Martha did was bad but I find it under suspicious circumstances that Pfizer and Eli Lilly two huge pharmaceutical companies who were trying to purchase the drug and weren't able to come to an agreement with Imclone while the FDA was deciding whether it would approve the drug or not. Further more the FDA did approve the drug two years later and purchased by Eli Lilly at 70 dollars a share which would have made a 30/40 percent profit for its share holders. All of this is really suspicious to me and nothing really adds up to me. It almost appears as if one of the big Pharmaceutical reps wanted the stock price to fall to acquire the company at a cheaper price but with the fall out from the Martha Stewart news the deal couldn't be executed because the story was too big. All in all extremely shading case the more and more I dove into this story the more and more it smelled of corruption and people who play outside of the rules. Dadoftwo001
Although Martha was sent to prison for her crime, it was a measley 5 months. Had it not been someone who was so high profile, they most certainly would have gotten a way harsher semtence. The things her and the rest of the defendents did ruined many lives. They were all money hungry and didn't care what damage they were going to cause others. Then upon her release she was still able to go on with her high profile life and continue making money. It just seems that these high profile people believe the rules don't really apply to them. As though, they are untouchable. These people need to start being sentenced harsher and face higher penalties. Then maybe they might start thinking about doing whats right and not being so corrupt. Cases like this one bring to light that money is for sure the root of all evil. People are willing to lie, steal, and cheat just to get a few extra dollars in their pocket. Really how much would that have affected someone like Marth Stewart who was already pretty rich. She along with the other conspirators just thought they were above the law. I'm not convinced that they don't still live with that same attitude. Again Martha lost 5 months of her life, but was then free to live her life and continue to add to her finances. She should have had all of her merchandise removed from the shelves and not been allowed on tv again. But this is America and history has shown there is a lot of corruption here.mommy001
Martha Stewart was found guilty of insider trading. Insider trading is when someone trades the stock of a company on the stock market with information not known to the public, and depending on when you do it it could be considered illegal. Stewart's actions caused tens of thousands of investors to lose all of their money. And since money plays a huge role in people's lives today, people lost everything and effected every part of their lives. She ended up only serving five months in prison and then five months on house arrest and then two years probation. She then went back on television like nothing ever happened. According to Labeling Theory, despite Stewart being labeled a felon by the court, she broke her label by using her “ onnections." If you or I was released from prison, we most likely wouldn’t be able to get a good job and would be stamped as a “convict.” Stewart, however, upon her release from prison, had no problem going back to her television show making millions of dollars. Today, no one considers Martha Stewart the felon that she is because she has used her resources to reject the label that society tried to stamp on her. EKT001
I completely agree with you EKT001z, it has connections with the labeling theory and she wasn't labeled a felon anymore and continued like nothing ever happened. Until this day she might still have a burden hanging on her shoulder of what she did and how many people's lives she has ruined. It might not effect her on the outside but on the inside it does and she knows what she really deserved. Computers001
Martha Stewart, a huge disgrace to the hard working men and woman who have put their money into investing to her fraudulent company. She has taken away so many lives families and opportunists for children by doing the illegal act she committed. She is a felon and can be considered a murdering for have those commit suicide for loses everything they have because of her. She got to where she is today because of those exact people and I can't believe she still has fans who are obviously blind to her actions. She thinks she is above the law because of her wealth and fame and the label she has. Sadly her label hasn't changed drastically like we all hoped for. She got always with it, with only serving 5 months. She is one of many big companies who do this every year. She is disgusting and should never be on tv or selling her merchandise again. I wish we could do some type of insider trading to destroy her company and life like she did to all of those innocent peopl who believed in her. Martha is in my book on my top 10 sheeiitt list. Cubs001
I liked how the video explains the whole scandal step by step and who the key players were in this scandal. Explaining what IMClone was and Martha Stewart's past, helps the viewer understand the scheme a whole better by knowing how it started from the very beginning. Martha Stewart found guilty of insider trading and cost thousands of investors to lose their money. Now this might not be effecting Martha Stewart but it effects everyone around her and makes them angry at what she did. To also know she wasn't the only one in on this scandal makes people wonder that not all people are they say who they really are. Martha Stewart in a way beat the system and that is what's wrong with society today. Martha until this day carries a burden of what she did and it will haunt her for the rest of her life and hope that she learns from her past deeds that she has committed. Computers001
Martha Stewart was found guilty of insider trading, which basically means that she traded a companies stock on the market with confidential information not known to the public. Depending on when you do it, determines whether it is illegal or not. Martha's actions caused thousands of investors to lose their money. This included people's life savings, college funds, and other money related savings. Money plays a huge role in people's lives today. Since people were losing that, it really had an affect on themselves, their marriages, and families. What Martha did was a punishable act of crime. She ended up serving five months in prison, five months in home confinement, with two years of probation. She was later found to be back on television like nothing ever happened. According to Labeling Theory, instead on Martha being labeled a felon, she broke her label by using her connections. If the average person today was released from prison, they would not be able to get a job and would be recognized as a criminal. Martha on the other hand, was released from prison and had no problem going back to her television show making millions of dollars. Nobody considers Martha as a felon today only because she rejects the label society tried to stick her with. Bry001
ReplyDeleteIts sad that celebrities and people with power can get away crimes like this all the time because they are famous. Celebrities should have to pay for their crimes just like everybody else. I honestly didn't know about this scandal until a couple of years ago because Martha Stewart has the money and power to reject the "felon" label and goes about her day acting like it never happened.
DeletesammO)))001
I agree completely, these people lost everything they had, Savings, College funds, etc. Money is held to such an important piece of living today, that after losing it people lost homes, cars, relationships, even their own life. Martha in my eyes is a murderer. But to some who reject the label she should have see her as a role model or a celebrity. Broncos001
DeleteIts sick that just because someone is high class they can screw up peoples lives and not get in trouble for it. like you said she has caused investors life savings college funds and even families to break up. If you have money it seems that you can do whatever you want. Godzilla001
DeleteWhen it comes to the Martha Stewart case it still truly blows my mind. The fact that someone can be convicted of insider trading which has a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $5,000,000 fine and only received 5 months in prison. All of that happened because Stewart received a tip from her brokers assistant saying to sell her stock in ImClone because of the FDA shutting down their newest drug. She only would've lost around $47,000 which is a microcosm of her true wealth. But instead of just cutting her losses she tried to cheat the system and screwed over thousands of people that were her investors. They all lost essentially everything because she was so greedy and tried to cheat the system. Even worse nowadays people don't even think of Martha Stewart as a felon because she has so much power and resources that she could effectively reject that label the court system formally gave her. RRM001
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it also blows my mind as well. If this was any person other then a rich person with in the public eye like Martha, they would had served much more time.
DeleteGRUNT001
i dont understand how you only get 5 months of prison time and it probably wasnt even bad prison stay probably nice get way for her who knows but she should have done couple years paid the familys back she messed up cowboys001
DeleteWhat boggles my mind is how a loss prevention of only about forty six thousand dollars could have caused so much financial devastation to multiple people. Depending on the number and class of people she pushed her stock off on it would be hard to believe that amount of money could have a life altering effect on someone. She still did wrong by knowingly and deliberately setting others up for failure, and she deserved to be labeled a felon for the trading and lack of integrity in a court room. She probably deserved more for what she did, but unless she offloaded it all onto one poor person the act doesn't seem as harmful to others as described in class. CoolGuy001
DeleteWhite collar crime in not a victim less crime. This unfortunately happens way too often. The person who sells their stock or does this insider trading doesn't realize the thousands of peoples lives they have ruined. Its awful that she only served 5 months and had 2 years probation for this crime because she was greedy. People lost their money, homes, cars, and some even killed themselves because Martha wanted some cash. I didn't even know about this scandal until a couple years ago because she has so much money and power that she rejects her label as felon. All to often we see celebrities placed upon a pedestal which makes them seem like they are above everybody else. And because they have this money, power, and talent they can reject any negative label given to them.
ReplyDeletesammO)))001
I Agree this had such a harmful turn out yet as a society we turned a blind eye to act as if the event never took place. We need to be more responsible for the actions taking as a nation for individuals who trap others just to achieve personal success. Eagle001.
DeleteIt is very sad to see someone so evil get away basically free and the families she had affected are suffering from her selfish decisions to maximize her money and not worry about the rest of the citizens and the affects it will have on their families. The worst part is most of society or the people who werent affected by this dont even see it bike001
DeleteThis is all one giant example of how someone can use their connections to help themselves. By Martha only being sentenced 5 months in Prison and the fines that were charged to her were barely a dent for her, she made off with what seemed like a slap on the wrist. Then after all of this for her to be back on TV like nothing ever happened amazes me. What if this were someone not famous or a celebrity? The sentence would have been longer, and after they would have a hard time making money if they ever got out due to them being a felon. We need to remember that these celebrities are people just like us and no matter what their name is or how much money they have, they should be held to the same standards as the rest of us. After learning the Labeling theory you would think that she would not have a show, etc. But no, because of her status people do not associate Martha with the word Felon. What people do not realize is that people invested everything they had into this company when the sellers knew it was going to fail but to save their own behinds, they took the money from people who were not in the financial situation to lose all of it. Broncos001
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because why would she commit the crime anyway, she just did this because she thought it would be right and no one would find out she did it. Golfer001
DeleteI agree with you on this because she did for her self and she did and try to see if nobody would find out that she did the insider trading but I guess they did find out that she did this. Golfer001
DeleteI agree completely. Martha got off way to easy and should have had a much more severe punishment. And when she was released from prison she should not have been able to get back to her life like nothing ever happened. This is a prime example of how money, power, and connections can get you off the hook. 7point62001
DeleteIts hard to believe that she did the insider trading and its wired where she started from like making cook books and furniture products and to hosting a TV show. Then she went to prison for Five months for insider trading which was illegal and she got busted for doing it and if you do the crime you got to do the crime. She thought that she was doing good by making stuff that just got her into a heap of trouble with the law. Its hard to see celebrities go from being a successful TV host making her own stuff, to being caught of insider trading and sent to prison for 5 months and being fined a lot of money out of her wallet. Golfer001
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why if anyone had an idea that her and others pulling out of the stock for IMClone why anyone still choose to knowing that it would have a traumatic effect on others and their lifestyles. I, also don't understand why as a society we welcome her with open arms after she served time even through her decision had ruined others lifes or even that the CEO for the company had info that the company was not funded by FDA yet still choose to info hidden that could have help others adjust. Such a shame what money, and popularity can do for individual. Eagle001.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great video to watch, there was a great amount of information about the Martha Stewart case. I do not like the fact that after all the damage she caused with all this that she only served a very small amount of time and then even when she got out of prison as now a felon, that she is right back on the T.V like nothing even happed. I really disliked the Martha living in prison page they did on the magazine and how they started making fun of the prison life saying things like strips are the new black, 101 toilet paper crafts projects, beautify your linens using human hair. I feel that was very disrespectful. Making a joke out of what was done should have never happened.
ReplyDeleteGRUNT001
I completely agree with how well put together the video is and how informative it is. The disrespect given in the magazine was so uncalled for and just not necessary. The fact she is still on tv disgusts me and makes me wonder why she still has fans as a felon. Cubs001
DeleteI liked this video because i really didnt know anyting about her i didn't realize she was so big and rich and in 1990s she invested money didn't want to lose her ass on it so she pulled her stocks kinda be hide everyone's back and i cant say that i wouldn't want to try and save my own ass if that was me but i have a heart and by her doing that she ruined lots of life and probably other company's and besides her and maybe one other guy there careers are gone now the only person that still came out a head which i think is bull crap is Martha because this only made her bigger because her face all over the tv so yea she had to do prison time and pay fines but you think that really hurt her compared to the other people i mean she probably learn her lesson and people mess up but like someone else said he do the crime you do the time should have to pay the family's back but i think people should learn from this to not do inside trade or watch were you invest at but comes down to it she has little power and money so she got barley and time if that was me i stil be in jail.cowboys001
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting point you bring up. I'm sure many people would try to save their stocks when threatened but the extend to her actions were extreme. You have to wonder if she knew the impact it would cause at the time she decided to commit this crime.
DeleteJah001
Martha Stewart was caught in an insider trading scandal with a company that she owned stock in called ImClone. When a few of the high profile owners of the company discovered that their drug would not be FDA approved they decided to sell their stocks so they would not loose all their money. This caused the company’s stocks to drop, which caused thousands of other investors to loose a lot of money; life savings, college funds, etc. Martha was convicted and served 5 months in prison. When she was released from prisons she was not labeled a felon like labeling theory suggest she would be. In fact she was right back on TV in no time at all, and she continued like it had never happened. I had no idea that Martha was a felon until we disused it in class. I was telling some of my friends about it and none of them knew anything about it either. This is a good example of how someone with connections, money, and power can over come being labeled as a felon. 7point62001
ReplyDeleteWhen Martha Stewart acted on the tip given by the CEO of ImClone to sell all of her stock in the company before it went into ruin, she had committed the crime of insider trading. Insider trading is basically the purchase or sale of a stock based off of insider knowledge from inside the company. Insider Trading and other corporate crimes are known as "white collar" crimes, which are the type of crime perpetrated by the higher business class over the working class. People who are found guilty of white collar crimes are typically less stigmatized than those guilty of blue collar offenses even if the outcome of those crimes are similar in nature. The reason for insider trading carrying such a light punishment in comparison to other crimes could be because most see it us trading using an unfair advantage in what's supposed to be a free market, which while deviant is not as bad as grand larceny or selling drugs. When in reality the person doing the insider trading is deliberately taking the consequences of their misfortune and pushing them onto someone else who is unaware of the consequences. Effectively stealing their money and assets like in a burglary or theft. Another reason Marth could have gotten a lighter sentence could have been her celebrity status and wealth. Many people see her as America's Sweetheart, and under the labeling theory of deviance an act is deviant because it is so labeled by society as deviant, so seeing a highly regarded member of society committing a deviant act could get people to remove some of the severity from the act committed by her. Labeling theory comes from the social conflict theory of sociology, which was developed by Karl Marx, who blamed most of society's issues on the rich and powerful. CoolGuy001
ReplyDeleteMartha Stewart was guilty of white collar crime. Martha moved around funds when she learned that there was a way to not only avoid losing money, but also make a profit. Martha and her adviser were found guilty and sent to jail. Usually when someone is a convicted felon, they are labeled a felon and have a hard time getting a job when they get released. Since Martha was so powerful and wealthy she was not only able to reject that label, but also was back on TV in a matter of months. The system is run by wealthy people, so when a wealthy person gets in trouble it doesn't have the same effect it would on the average population. Labeling the poor can ultimately ruin peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteJah001
I agree with you, martha stewart just walks free and can carry on with her life. But someone like me and you we would have trouble getting a job and even having a normal life would be difficult for us. I'll never understand the "good" some of the justice system does. -dicaprio001
DeleteMartha got in trouble for insider trading after the CEO of ImCLone informed her that the FDA denied them the right to work on a certain drug. He told her and other close friends about the impending doom and to get out before it's too late. Even though she knew the stock was going to crash she decided to push the crippling debt on to other people. People lost their life savings because of her. Some people lost their house their cars and their families and kids lost the opportunity for a good college education because of Martha. Martha served only a few months in prison for the atrocity that she has caused. She is in the upper class of our society so what did we really expect of this? If you have money in this world then you can do whatever you want. Godzilla001
ReplyDeleteIts sad that if you have money and fame that you can get off with serving less time or not dealing with the criticism that normal people would have to endure. Even if you are famous and have money, you should still do the time that a normal person would get. hawkshockey001
DeleteThis is one thing that I will never understand. People like Martha Stewart, wealthy and gets away with committing a crime. And a crime that wasn't petty by any means, it was a white collar crime. (insider-trading). That is a big fat felony!! You know if one of us regular everyday people (not rich) we would be sitting inside a federal prison right this moment. And when we got out we would be struggling to get back to a normal life, but where is martha? Right back on tv! This reminds me of a big case that's going on right now, Brock Turner. A privileged white kid who went to stanford. Brock got charged with three counts of felony sexual assault. 1.rape of an intoxicated person 2. rape of an unconscious person 3.assault with intent to rape an intoxicated person 4.sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object & 5. sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object. I know i said three but why and the hell not let's list all of the charges! Turner was only sentenced to six months in county to be followed by three years of probation! But guess what happened he only served about three of those months and is out now on probation! How is that justice? Now i know those are two way different cases but, its both in a way similar! They both did something awful, and they both got light sentences and both are now just right back on the streets like nothing happened. When the people they affected are going to have to live with the consequences of their crimes. This system is ran by money the only thing our world sees is dollar signs! I'll never understand the logic in that. -dicaprio001
ReplyDeleteSadly your'e exactly correct. The number one motivator for almost anything in today's world is money. And having it allows you to sidestep things that would become obstacles if you were a regular citizen. But it isn't going to change anytime soon so we have to adapt and make sure we avoid the type of issues that only money can solve.
DeleteEdgarallen001
dicaprio001 i agree with you! People who are charged with a white-collar crime deserve to be treated as they are, which are felons. They should not be allowed to get off almost scott-free and should also struggle like any other person who is put through the system. The system truly is ruled by money, and it sucks but it won't be changing anytime soon. agentp001
DeleteMartha Stewart committed a crime that ruined countless lives and even took a few lives. She got an inside tip that her shares in a medicine company were about to drop due to the denial of a drug by the fda. She sold all of her shares breaking inside trading laws and ruining lives. She served only five months in prison and came back out and started up her own tv show and acted like nothing ever happened and that she didnt ruin countless lives. Martha got special treatment and her label as a criminal was broken because of her socioeconomic status and television fame. Any other person would not get out so quickly and be able to still make a name for themselves like Martha did. She merely got a smack on the risk compared to smaller crimes that the average citizen would have gotten. Society has labeled her as this family friendly T.V. star but in reality she has torn families apart. I think that it is wrong because she did not face the consequences that anyone else who had committed similar or less severe crimes. Bike001
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect example of what happens when people with money aren't held to the same standard as those without it. Martha Stewart is a criminal. People died because of her. Her punishment wasn't as bad as it should have been. Much like Hillary Clinton Martha Stewart is able to reject the label of felon or criminal through her money and influence. The crime she committed had little to no effect on her career or her personal life. people need to be shown that these actions aren't acceptable regardless of social status. The system is more often than not working for the rich. Sadly the system is probably not going to change anytime soon. it's been in effect for too long. Playing into their hand for too many rounds. The rules don't apply to people with money the same way they apply to us. So the next time an A-list celebrity catches a charge or gets arrested pay attention to how it plays out. because it won't go the same for you.
ReplyDeleteEdgarallen001
I completely understand your frustration in this. Why do people flock back to a woman who committed these crimes? How in the world does she have so many followers? This celebrity god like complex will get our society into deep trouble. Now it’s watching people make criminal acts what else will celebrities be able to do and get away with in the future? It’s a scary thought how some people just seem to be so untouchable even to the justice system. BabyB004
DeleteWhat I don't understand is that did she not think she would ever get in trouble? She thought that she would be able to do this and just get away with it with out anyone knowing? She ruined many peoples live by doing what she did. The fact that she only did five months to is ridiculous. And after getting out of prison she was still able to have a tv show. There are many things wrong with this whole situation, but because she was Martha Stewart she didn't have to deal with any of the labels that other people would have to deal with. There are probably many people who still love her today. hawkshockey001
ReplyDeleteThis absolutely blows my mind. I of course knew about the Martha Stewart scandal, but I did not know it in depth or detail. She had gotten in trouble for insider trading, for moving her stocks after the rumor of the FDA disapproving the new drug at ImClone. This shows a great deal of how anyone who has quite a bit of money can get away with just about anything. Martha and her cohorts had ruined the lives of so many people, people that they had trusted and worked with. Because of Martha and the others involved in the scandal, people committed suicide. This is not a laughing matter to see that she only served 5 months in jail. JAIL. She didn't even serve in prison, but jail. Then she was released and put on house arrest or whatever. If this were another situation, she would have gotten more time and would have gotten in a lot more trouble. This is the prime example that people with money are held to a different standard and that the rules don't always apply to them. If they are to break the rules, their punishment is not nearly as harsh. In this situation, the system seems to be working for the rich, catering to them. It's very unsettling. agentp001
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% Throughout highschool, i heard minimal conversations about Martha Stewart and i knew what she did but not in depth. I had no clue the amount of people she negatively affected and how her outcome turned out. It's unfair to those closely related and those who lives were lost. Martha Stewart is a perfect example as to proving that wealthy people are offered more leeway and, with proper resources and wealth, are capable of overcoming such labels. behappy001
DeleteI agree! it's amazing that rich people like Martha Stewart think that they can just get away with anything and everything. Judges in these cases need to treat these people just like the Joe Smoe they deal with in other cases. It's not fair to anyone involved. EKT001
DeleteIn today's society, we hear more and more people complaining about the fact that, "people selling weed get more time versus those who commit more serious crime." As unsettling as it, this is not a situation that has recently arisen. Martha Stewart ruined and ended so many lives; her punishment did not reflect that. In March 2004, Stewart was guilty for felony charges of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators. She only served a five-month term in a federal correctional facility. In theory, after being released Stewart should have been socially ostracized and hated around the world, instead she ended up beginning her own TV show. Many people committed suicide and lost their life savings but because Stewart was wealthy and had wealthy resources, from an outsiders standpoint you'd never know. It's gut wrenching. behappy001
ReplyDeleteI think what Martha Stewart did was wrong I just haven't found the connection of her personally ruining all of these peoples lives. What she did was wrong but the CEO caused most of this to happen. He and his family sold 70.3 million dollars worth of shares which tanked the stock Martha Stewarts 46,000 dollars worth of shares didn't cause the stock to plummet. The FDA not approving the trial for terminally ill patients with 60 days left to live is odd as well, especially when two years later they approve the same paperwork??? Odd their are a lot of things in this case that really have made me angry, but Martha Stewart isn't at the top of that list. If anything her star-power brought the media's attention to the corruption going on in this company. I don't know what to think after researching all of this but their is tons wrong with this company. Especially after all of this the company was sold for 70 dollars a share to ELi Lilly for an enormous profit for the people who were arrested for the insider trading??!?!? Dadoftwo001
DeleteAgain, I feel like the criminal justice system failed. Is it because she is a celebrity that she got away with a short prison sentence? It is insane how one person’s thoughts and actions can hurt so many people’s lives. I believe where the convicted definitely screwed up is with Martha Stewart and her crew attempting to perform a cover up. With today’s technology there is very little chance of getting away with anything! This just goes to prove that they actually were at fault. Another thing that caught my attention was her statement about “I do not think I will be going to jail”. So at this point she knew she covered everything up and I expect that she thought she was safe. The attitude Martha Stewart portrayed was shocking like she could not be touched, it was ridiculous. Again with the celebrity god complex, which I do not understand why they think they are above the law. BabyB004
ReplyDeleteI agree with you BabyB004, it is insane that these high profile individuals feel they can do whatever they see fit. Unless sentences get stiffer and penalties higher, these people will continue to feel they are above the law.mommy001
DeleteI agree that what Martha Stewart did was unethical and wrong. I believe her sentence fit her crime. After researching the actions of Martha Stewart more closely she was convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. Although it wasn't proven her broker who was also the CEO of Imclone a cancer drug company were acquaintances as he dated Martha's daughter for a time. Now the Martha's broker and the Ceo of Imclone used the same broker is how the connected Martha's sale of her shares. Martha who did own $240,000 worth of shares did illegally save herself $46,635 by selling two days ahead of the FDA ruling striking down the cancer drug Erbitux which caused the founders of the company to sell of 70.3 million in shares which caused the stock to plummet from 65.88 to 6 dollars a share. Now I will say that what the companies CEO is horrible and what Martha did was bad but I find it under suspicious circumstances that Pfizer and Eli Lilly two huge pharmaceutical companies who were trying to purchase the drug and weren't able to come to an agreement with Imclone while the FDA was deciding whether it would approve the drug or not. Further more the FDA did approve the drug two years later and purchased by Eli Lilly at 70 dollars a share which would have made a 30/40 percent profit for its share holders. All of this is really suspicious to me and nothing really adds up to me. It almost appears as if one of the big Pharmaceutical reps wanted the stock price to fall to acquire the company at a cheaper price but with the fall out from the Martha Stewart news the deal couldn't be executed because the story was too big. All in all extremely shading case the more and more I dove into this story the more and more it smelled of corruption and people who play outside of the rules. Dadoftwo001
ReplyDeleteAlthough Martha was sent to prison for her crime, it was a measley 5 months. Had it not been someone who was so high profile, they most certainly would have gotten a way harsher semtence. The things her and the rest of the defendents did ruined many lives. They were all money hungry and didn't care what damage they were going to cause others. Then upon her release she was still able to go on with her high profile life and continue making money. It just seems that these high profile people believe the rules don't really apply to them. As though, they are untouchable. These people need to start being sentenced harsher and face higher penalties. Then maybe they might start thinking about doing whats right and not being so corrupt. Cases like this one bring to light that money is for sure the root of all evil. People are willing to lie, steal, and cheat just to get a few extra dollars in their pocket. Really how much would that have affected someone like Marth Stewart who was already pretty rich. She along with the other conspirators just thought they were above the law. I'm not convinced that they don't still live with that same attitude. Again Martha lost 5 months of her life, but was then free to live her life and continue to add to her finances. She should have had all of her merchandise removed from the shelves and not been allowed on tv again. But this is America and history has shown there is a lot of corruption here.mommy001
ReplyDeleteMartha Stewart was found guilty of insider trading. Insider trading is when someone trades the stock of a company on the stock market with information not known to the public, and depending on when you do it it could be considered illegal. Stewart's actions caused tens of thousands of investors to lose all of their money. And since money plays a huge role in people's lives today, people lost everything and effected every part of their lives. She ended up only serving five months in prison and then five months on house arrest and then two years probation. She then went back on television like nothing ever happened. According to Labeling Theory, despite Stewart being labeled a felon by the court, she broke her label by using her “ onnections." If you or I was released from prison, we most likely wouldn’t be able to get a good job and would be stamped as a “convict.” Stewart, however, upon her release from prison, had no problem going back to her television show making millions of dollars. Today, no one considers Martha Stewart the felon that she is because she has used her resources to reject the label that society tried to stamp on her. EKT001
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you EKT001z, it has connections with the labeling theory and she wasn't labeled a felon anymore and continued like nothing ever happened. Until this day she might still have a burden hanging on her shoulder of what she did and how many people's lives she has ruined. It might not effect her on the outside but on the inside it does and she knows what she really deserved. Computers001
DeleteMartha Stewart, a huge disgrace to the hard working men and woman who have put their money into investing to her fraudulent company. She has taken away so many lives families and opportunists for children by doing the illegal act she committed. She is a felon and can be considered a murdering for have those commit suicide for loses everything they have because of her. She got to where she is today because of those exact people and I can't believe she still has fans who are obviously blind to her actions. She thinks she is above the law because of her wealth and fame and the label she has. Sadly her label hasn't changed drastically like we all hoped for. She got always with it, with only serving 5 months. She is one of many big companies who do this every year. She is disgusting and should never be on tv or selling her merchandise again. I wish we could do some type of insider trading to destroy her company and life like she did to all of those innocent peopl who believed in her. Martha is in my book on my top 10 sheeiitt list. Cubs001
ReplyDeleteI liked how the video explains the whole scandal step by step and who the key players were in this scandal. Explaining what IMClone was and Martha Stewart's past, helps the viewer understand the scheme a whole better by knowing how it started from the very beginning. Martha Stewart found guilty of insider trading and cost thousands of investors to lose their money. Now this might not be effecting Martha Stewart but it effects everyone around her and makes them angry at what she did. To also know she wasn't the only one in on this scandal makes people wonder that not all people are they say who they really are. Martha Stewart in a way beat the system and that is what's wrong with society today. Martha until this day carries a burden of what she did and it will haunt her for the rest of her life and hope that she learns from her past deeds that she has committed. Computers001
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