Crossing the Line: Ordinary People Commi ...

When Justin Paperny graduated from the University of Southern California at age 22, he was a disciplined young man. A fitness fanatic, Justin led a balanced life, had strong, healthy relationships with others and was soaring in his career. But just two years later, Justin was unrecognizable. He had abandoned all values he had once held dear in pursuit of the almighty dollar. His greed became insatiable and it propelled him into a dark tunnel of cynicism and selfishness that would eventually corrupt every aspect of his life.

Justin's descent began with jealousy. As a junior partner in a brokerage firm, Justin resented the fact that he was paid only a small fraction of the revenue the firm received from the clients he brought in. He felt his contributions earned him a bigger payout. It didn't matter that his earnings exceeded $20,000 each month. Instead of feeling satisfied, Justin began to feel greedy. He compared his earnings to another partner whose were significantly higher. He felt entitled to more; and when he saw opportunities to increase his earnings, he grabbed them.

Justin, very similar to Diann, felt as though he had been "harmed” by his firm, and believed he was justified in taking what was rightfully his. Justin's "philosophy” resulted in him spending 18-months in federal prison.

Justin's response to money is not uncommon. A report by University of Utah and Harvard researchers entitled,"Seeing Green: Mere exposure to money triggers a business decision frame and unethical outcomes", found that individuals who could gain monetarily through unethical behavior were more likely to demonstrate unethical behavior than those who weren't offered a financial gain. Watch as Justin explains why he crossed the line.

Caption 3: Justin Paperny discusses his background.