I am flabbergasted by this horrific act of fraud against the US citizens affected by 9/11. This demonstrates the insensitivity people have towards others and the selfishness that drives many of the white collar and corporate crime offenders. What I do not understand though is how a person in India can sue over money that doesn’t belong to them and money that was proceeds of a crime in a different country. Another thing I am astonished about is how can someone steal $10 million dollars, which was supposedly going to help find the remains of people. Didn’t people realize that the bodies/remains were not being found, and therefore question where the funds were before the total amount stolen reached in the millions of dollars? I sincerely hope that the rest of the money, $3 million, is recovered and that both Natarajan Venkataram and his girlfriend Abreu thoroughly enjoy their stay here in the American prison system and think twice next time about laundering money from American victims.
I often claim the belief that people are naturally good, BUT the insensitivity and moral condition of certain individuals is forever threatening my beliefs. Take Natarajan Venkataram and his girlfriend for example. He took advantage of the tragedy of September 11. He knew that the government was more concerned with the occurred and that it would take longer to realize a crime of his nature. He used human suffering and pain to get ahead in life. Putting religion aside, I believe that there is a universal unwritten moral code available to every single human being. I refuse to believe that Venkataram was oblivious to it. Why people commit such acts is unbeknownst to me but I certainly hope he and his girlfriend get what they deserve. Furthermore, I was astonished by the acts of his family. His sister sued to try and retain the money in India. Ridiculous! I would have thought that shame or guilt would have compelled some sort of cooperation but clearly this family is full of self-absorbed pigs.
I truly have mixed emotions after reading this article. It’s sad that the surviving relatives of the 9/11 victims were given hope that their family members remains were going to be located, just to find out that hope is now lost due to an act of greed. To a lot of families this would have possibly provided them closure, and they could have given the deceased a proper burial. After the money was stolen by Venkataram and his girlfriend, imagine the heartache the families had to endure a second time. On the other hand I’m extremely angry that this man would have the nerve to express his apologies for what he has done to the families of 9/11, and then turn around and fight to keep the money he has embezzled. White collar crime seems to be increasing more than we are aware. I think when any money or grants are funded to an individual or organization; the government should monitor the progress and expenses on a daily basis, to ensure that the money is being used properly.
Yeah i cannot belive the midset of some people that do crimes like this one. i cannot imagine what goes on in these kind of peoples heads. this guys stole 10million dollars all the dollars donated by people who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks. not only that but its the moral concept of taking peoples money that they are donating to the victums and charitys for the 9/11 terriost attacks.and now they cant find the rest of the money? thats ridiculous you dont loose that much money. i know someone somewhere is laughing all the way to the bank with our nations cash for the horrible events that occured on 9/11. i think this article is very intersting because i dont understand what people like this guys and they other terriost out there.there are some people out there that have nothing and gave all there moeny to these funds, this guy wiped that all away from these people.
It’s crazy how much I don’t know about the things that go on in this world. If it wasn’t for this article I would have never known about this. I am so busy with school and work to even notice crimes like these and it’s people like me who have no idea what goes on with white collar crimes and knowing that things like this happens opens my eyes. I definitely see some people in a new light. I am the type of person that trust people and think that people have at least “some” morals. I was very wrong. Venkataram says that he is sorry but is he really? He won’t even give up the rest of the money he is hiding in India. That’s someone who has no ethics or morals along with his girlfriend and family. The money he stole was for victims of 9/11 and it was going to help put family’s hearts at rest for losing loved ones. That’s cold and heartless. I hope he gets what he deserves and maybe his girlfriend and family will learn also. Karma is all I can hope for in this case.
If someone had told me this, I would not have believed it. I am almost left speechless; this has got to be one of the most cold-hearted things I have ever read, in relation to the aftermath of 9/11. It is unbelievable that anyone, would have the nerve to what this man did, and still have the audacity to say “he is sorry,” oh, but, “not sorry enough to return the $400,000 still sitting in his bank account in India.” Personally, I think that this story should be made a little more public, and this man deserves his sentence. I seriously, can not believe anyone would have the heart to do something like this, that money was to identify the remains of 9/11 victims, the number of people affected by this crime is gigantic, all those people who died were someone’s loved one. And I agree with Rodriguez, actions such as this one really makes me question people’s morals, my goodness, the amount of greed, and maliciousness involved in this crime is pretty much throw-up worthy. :/
This article is pretty hard to read. The things people will do for money blows my mind. Does this guy not have any morals? How could someone steal money from such a good cause. Its like stealing money from a charity event, its just wrong. I dont understand his reasoning on why he doesnt want to return the remaining 400,000, it was never his to begin with. This guy only got 15 years for this? Some peoples ethics are completly backwards these days.
It’s amazing to me what people in this world are capable of. Not only did Venkataram embezzle money, but he embezzled money that was meant to help find victim’s of 9/11. I kind of chuckled at the fact that although he apologized for taking the money and express his deepest regrets, he wasn’t sorry enough to return the rest of the money. I can’t believe that after ten years and jail time that Venkataram, still has about four hundred thousand of the money in a bank account somewhere. I don’t see how or why his sister would sue to get the money. I hope she doesn’t think that she legally has the right to it. Again, I think it’s funny what people in this world would do because how can you legally sue to obtain money, which was never yours to begin with in the first place. I hope that they recover everything that Venkataram has stolen and then some.
Lea Esker It would be interesting to know more about Venkataram’s background. Did he grow up here? Does he like this country? What makes him steal that money when at the same time people are risking and losing their lives in order to help others? It seems like he’s never been convicted of a crime- did he just wait for the right moment or was he just never caught and went too crazy this time? Feeling like one nation against the enemy, I don’t think anybody expected the enemy in their own lines. This is so wrong that I understand the anger and hate towards him. I’m sure he will be punished in prison, not only because he is locked up, but also because he is locked up with a whole bunch of people that, although criminal, I’m sure are pretty patriotic. But I doubt that the treatment he gets is going to make him understand what he did. I always have hope, that criminals understand why what they did was wrong, and what it did to others, but once in prison, fighting to survive, I don’t think they have much time or nerve left to do so. Maybe Venkataram is so sick, that there is nothing to be done anyways. Maybe he just doesn’t feel with others, doesn’t know what compassion is. But you never know. If there is some understanding deep down inside of him, it’s going to make this country a safer place once he is released, if we put an effort into not hating and trying to rehabilitate.
The city worker, who siphoned $10 million from a 911 identification fund, is only sorry he got caught. The man and his partner ought to serve out their sentence in full in prison and then do pro bono work until the full $10 million is paid back but all the money it took to pay the people to investigate, prosecute, including the court and cost of housing him in prison for his crime. There has to be a stiffer penalty to the non violent criminal, the victims in this case are still waiting to be identified and have already paid the ultimate price. Mr. Natarajan Venataram is no better than a grave robber. I wonder if he would have tried to pull something like that in India, what price he would have to pay. I know this guy, in comparison to the Enron thieves is small potatoes, but it is this type of greed that is ruining our nation.
Why must people use tragedies like 9/11 to make an easy buck. It is sad the amount of people who bilked the government or government agencies out of millions of dollars because of what happened on 9/11. This is just one of many cases in which money was embezzled for personal use. It also happened with a company that was supposed to help with the rebuilding of the pentagon. These people must not have a conscience if they are committing these types of crimes. The problem is, is that during a time of crisis people are more worried about getting the aide out to where it is needed and don’t take the time to research where the funds are going and what they are being used for. It isn’t until after the crisis has somewhat dissipated that they are start to look into where the money went and what it was used for. The problem is by that time, the people who embezzled the money have spent it or are have fled the country.
I am flabbergasted by this horrific act of fraud against the US citizens affected by 9/11. This demonstrates the insensitivity people have towards others and the selfishness that drives many of the white collar and corporate crime offenders. What I do not understand though is how a person in India can sue over money that doesn’t belong to them and money that was proceeds of a crime in a different country. Another thing I am astonished about is how can someone steal $10 million dollars, which was supposedly going to help find the remains of people. Didn’t people realize that the bodies/remains were not being found, and therefore question where the funds were before the total amount stolen reached in the millions of dollars? I sincerely hope that the rest of the money, $3 million, is recovered and that both Natarajan Venkataram and his girlfriend Abreu thoroughly enjoy their stay here in the American prison system and think twice next time about laundering money from American victims.
ReplyDeleteI often claim the belief that people are naturally good, BUT the insensitivity and moral condition of certain individuals is forever threatening my beliefs. Take Natarajan Venkataram and his girlfriend for example. He took advantage of the tragedy of September 11. He knew that the government was more concerned with the occurred and that it would take longer to realize a crime of his nature. He used human suffering and pain to get ahead in life. Putting religion aside, I believe that there is a universal unwritten moral code available to every single human being. I refuse to believe that Venkataram was oblivious to it. Why people commit such acts is unbeknownst to me but I certainly hope he and his girlfriend get what they deserve. Furthermore, I was astonished by the acts of his family. His sister sued to try and retain the money in India. Ridiculous! I would have thought that shame or guilt would have compelled some sort of cooperation but clearly this family is full of self-absorbed pigs.
ReplyDeleteI truly have mixed emotions after reading this article. It’s sad that the surviving relatives of the 9/11 victims were given hope that their family members remains were going to be located, just to find out that hope is now lost due to an act of greed. To a lot of families this would have possibly provided them closure, and they could have given the deceased a proper burial. After the money was stolen by Venkataram and his girlfriend, imagine the heartache the families had to endure a second time. On the other hand I’m extremely angry that this man would have the nerve to express his apologies for what he has done to the families of 9/11, and then turn around and fight to keep the money he has embezzled. White collar crime seems to be increasing more than we are aware. I think when any money or grants are funded to an individual or organization; the government should monitor the progress and expenses on a daily basis, to ensure that the money is being used properly.
ReplyDeleteYeah i cannot belive the midset of some people that do crimes like this one. i cannot imagine what goes on in these kind of peoples heads. this guys stole 10million dollars all the dollars donated by people who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks. not only that but its the moral concept of taking peoples money that they are donating to the victums and charitys for the 9/11 terriost attacks.and now they cant find the rest of the money? thats ridiculous you dont loose that much money. i know someone somewhere is laughing all the way to the bank with our nations cash for the horrible events that occured on 9/11. i think this article is very intersting because i dont understand what people like this guys and they other terriost out there.there are some people out there that have nothing and gave all there moeny to these funds, this guy wiped that all away from these people.
ReplyDeleteIt’s crazy how much I don’t know about the things that go on in this world. If it wasn’t for this article I would have never known about this. I am so busy with school and work to even notice crimes like these and it’s people like me who have no idea what goes on with white collar crimes and knowing that things like this happens opens my eyes. I definitely see some people in a new light. I am the type of person that trust people and think that people have at least “some” morals. I was very wrong. Venkataram says that he is sorry but is he really? He won’t even give up the rest of the money he is hiding in India. That’s someone who has no ethics or morals along with his girlfriend and family. The money he stole was for victims of 9/11 and it was going to help put family’s hearts at rest for losing loved ones. That’s cold and heartless. I hope he gets what he deserves and maybe his girlfriend and family will learn also. Karma is all I can hope for in this case.
ReplyDeleteIf someone had told me this, I would not have believed it. I am almost left speechless; this has got to be one of the most cold-hearted things I have ever read, in relation to the aftermath of 9/11. It is unbelievable that anyone, would have the nerve to what this man did, and still have the audacity to say “he is sorry,” oh, but, “not sorry enough to return the $400,000 still sitting in his bank account in India.” Personally, I think that this story should be made a little more public, and this man deserves his sentence. I seriously, can not believe anyone would have the heart to do something like this, that money was to identify the remains of 9/11 victims, the number of people affected by this crime is gigantic, all those people who died were someone’s loved one. And I agree with Rodriguez, actions such as this one really makes me question people’s morals, my goodness, the amount of greed, and maliciousness involved in this crime is pretty much throw-up worthy. :/
ReplyDeleteThis article is pretty hard to read. The things people will do for money blows my mind. Does this guy not have any morals? How could someone steal money from such a good cause. Its like stealing money from a charity event, its just wrong. I dont understand his reasoning on why he doesnt want to return the remaining 400,000, it was never his to begin with. This guy only got 15 years for this? Some peoples ethics are completly backwards these days.
ReplyDeleteIt’s amazing to me what people in this world are capable of. Not only did Venkataram embezzle money, but he embezzled money that was meant to help find victim’s of 9/11. I kind of chuckled at the fact that although he apologized for taking the money and express his deepest regrets, he wasn’t sorry enough to return the rest of the money. I can’t believe that after ten years and jail time that Venkataram, still has about four hundred thousand of the money in a bank account somewhere. I don’t see how or why his sister would sue to get the money. I hope she doesn’t think that she legally has the right to it. Again, I think it’s funny what people in this world would do because how can you legally sue to obtain money, which was never yours to begin with in the first place. I hope that they recover everything that Venkataram has stolen and then some.
ReplyDeleteLea Esker
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to know more about Venkataram’s background.
Did he grow up here? Does he like this country? What makes him steal that money when at the same time people are risking and losing their lives in order to help others? It seems like he’s never been convicted of a crime- did he just wait for the right moment or was he just never caught and went too crazy this time?
Feeling like one nation against the enemy, I don’t think anybody expected the enemy in their own lines.
This is so wrong that I understand the anger and hate towards him. I’m sure he will be punished in prison, not only because he is locked up, but also because he is locked up with a whole bunch of people that, although criminal, I’m sure are pretty patriotic.
But I doubt that the treatment he gets is going to make him understand what he did. I always have hope, that criminals understand why what they did was wrong, and what it did to others, but once in prison, fighting to survive, I don’t think they have much time or nerve left to do so.
Maybe Venkataram is so sick, that there is nothing to be done anyways. Maybe he just doesn’t feel with others, doesn’t know what compassion is.
But you never know. If there is some understanding deep down inside of him, it’s going to make this country a safer place once he is released, if we put an effort into not hating and trying to rehabilitate.
The city worker, who siphoned $10 million from a 911 identification fund, is only sorry he got caught. The man and his partner ought to serve out their sentence in full in prison and then do pro bono work until the full $10 million is paid back but all the money it took to pay the people to investigate, prosecute, including the court and cost of housing him in prison for his crime. There has to be a stiffer penalty to the non violent criminal, the victims in this case are still waiting to be identified and have already paid the ultimate price. Mr. Natarajan Venataram is no better than a grave robber. I wonder if he would have tried to pull something like that in India, what price he would have to pay. I know this guy, in comparison to the Enron thieves is small potatoes, but it is this type of greed that is ruining our nation.
ReplyDeleteWhy must people use tragedies like 9/11 to make an easy buck. It is sad the amount of people who bilked the government or government agencies out of millions of dollars because of what happened on 9/11. This is just one of many cases in which money was embezzled for personal use. It also happened with a company that was supposed to help with the rebuilding of the pentagon. These people must not have a conscience if they are committing these types of crimes. The problem is, is that during a time of crisis people are more worried about getting the aide out to where it is needed and don’t take the time to research where the funds are going and what they are being used for. It isn’t until after the crisis has somewhat dissipated that they are start to look into where the money went and what it was used for. The problem is by that time, the people who embezzled the money have spent it or are have fled the country.
ReplyDelete