Fraud is not an "accident" or a "mistake" or a minor "lapse in
judgement". Fraud by its very nature is "deliberate". Fraud is not a single misguided action that can be dismissed as a
moment of weakness. It requires a series of related actions over an
extended period of time.
Fraud is a "scheme" with a specific purpose to "deceive". It is often a
"conspiracy" requiring the knowing or unwitting participation of others. By definition, the perpetrator of the fraud is neither mindful nor
concerned with the consequences of the fraud - financial or otherwise. Finally, during the planning stages of a fraudulent scheme, there are
multiple opportunities to cease and desist before any actual fraud has
been committed. In this case of the 300degree rails Coz had to plan the entire scheme,
manufacturer the rails (likely multiple batches), falsify records, deceive
both his suppliers and his customers on a regular basis, etc over the
period of at least a year. Imagine the energy and concentration it takes to maintain a fraud of this
nature. I wonder how Coz kept it clear that he had purchased x sets of
the real rails, while selling 2x? How did he keep it from his staff? His
accountant? I wonder how he decided which customers received the real
rails and which ones received the fakes? If he felt as guilty as he claims,
imagine the weekly stress of continuing the fraud - buying, selling,
fabricating, the constant lies and misrepresentations. The bottom line: A fraudulent scheme that persist for over a year is not
a "mistake" - it is not a "first strike".
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