What Did The Accused Have To Say?
The Alfred L. Wolff company was unnervingly quiet about the incident after it made headlines. Only ever speaking up to deny any charges and not saying much more. According to an article written on bild.com, Alexander Wolff was the chief executive at the time. He had conveniently made his way back to Germany before any arrests were made, of the company submitted a statement concerning the indictments in writing saying, " These allegations are inaccurate and will be repelled by us by any legal means. As this is an ongoing process we are currently unable to comment on this process on the advice of our lawyers." This comment was made back in 2010, and the response was appropriate at time as things were still unfolding. However, they should have taken more responsibility as a company, especially after hard evidence was uncovered linking 11 company executives including Wolff . Sometimes keeping quiet is the best thing to do until things die down but this wasn't one of those times. The lack of commentary only made ALW look more guilty.
There was also a lot of displacement of responsibility in this case. Thomas Gerkmann, Alfred L. Wolff's former international sales manager who was replaced by Stefanie Giesselbach did an interview for the first episode of the Netflix documentary "Rotten". Gerkmann said that he could not believe the allegations against him and his former employer and that there had to be a misunderstanding.
When the interviewer asked him about emails retrieved between him and other employees at ALW concerning shipments of laundered honey, including one that was contaminated with an antibiotics, his response was, " Well, I don't know exactly about these emails. I just know that the computers at the Alfred L.Wolff office we open to every body, so signatures can be replaced." But when asked about his signature on the hard copy of the purchase order in question he admits to knowing that the honey was adulterated and selling it a bargain price to US buyers. He wanted to make it known that when he found out the honey contained an illegal antibiotic, he contacted both his US manger and the head of office in Hamburg asking what he should do and they both reported back that he should try to sell it at a cheaper price. Clearly knows that it was the wrong thing to do but doesn't think it was entirely his fault. His only regret is that he isn't able to leave Germany.
After her time in prison Giesselbach wrote a book that allows the reader to see the arrest, the trial, prison in American and her return to society from her point of view. When she was arrested it was just moments before trying to board a plane headed for Germany. Giesselbach claimed that she was only returning to Germany for a short vacation but investigators said that she had prematurely broken the lease on her apartment, cut off her utilities and her plane ticket was one-way. She expresses how she felt victimized and used by her company. She believes that she was set up to be the "fall guy."
Sources:
There was also a lot of displacement of responsibility in this case. Thomas Gerkmann, Alfred L. Wolff's former international sales manager who was replaced by Stefanie Giesselbach did an interview for the first episode of the Netflix documentary "Rotten". Gerkmann said that he could not believe the allegations against him and his former employer and that there had to be a misunderstanding.
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| In his interview Thomas Gerkmann claims that he had no knowledge that the honey he sold was illegal Chinese honey. (Rotten: S1E1: 25:42- 2017) |
When the interviewer asked him about emails retrieved between him and other employees at ALW concerning shipments of laundered honey, including one that was contaminated with an antibiotics, his response was, " Well, I don't know exactly about these emails. I just know that the computers at the Alfred L.Wolff office we open to every body, so signatures can be replaced." But when asked about his signature on the hard copy of the purchase order in question he admits to knowing that the honey was adulterated and selling it a bargain price to US buyers. He wanted to make it known that when he found out the honey contained an illegal antibiotic, he contacted both his US manger and the head of office in Hamburg asking what he should do and they both reported back that he should try to sell it at a cheaper price. Clearly knows that it was the wrong thing to do but doesn't think it was entirely his fault. His only regret is that he isn't able to leave Germany.
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| Stefanie Giesselbach's book titled " Meine Abseschminkten Jahre: Wie ich amerikanischen frauenknast landete" which translates to My Sesasoned Years: How I ended up in an American Women's Prison. |
After her time in prison Giesselbach wrote a book that allows the reader to see the arrest, the trial, prison in American and her return to society from her point of view. When she was arrested it was just moments before trying to board a plane headed for Germany. Giesselbach claimed that she was only returning to Germany for a short vacation but investigators said that she had prematurely broken the lease on her apartment, cut off her utilities and her plane ticket was one-way. She expresses how she felt victimized and used by her company. She believes that she was set up to be the "fall guy."
Sources:
I agree that lack of communication from the company makes them look more guilty. This story sounds so interesting, especially considering all points of view. I want to read Stefanie's book now!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any reason to believe she was set up, like she claims?
I think that what she says is true because she received her assignment in their Chicago division around the same time that their operations were coming under scrutiny for the scam. Also it seems really suspicious that after she arrived the company executives taught her how to continue the scheme, then went back to Germany just weeks later. Those executives were also indicted but couldn't be arrested since they were no longer in the US.
DeleteThis appears to be an example of a worker who was used as a scapegoat going from the fact that the executives quickly went back to Germany showing the corruption from executives within the company. Giesselbach's story is a perfect example of what we as a class discussed for Global Ethical Issues as we see accountability deflected to her. This leads to the question of if executives should by default face a minimal amount of prison time for these sort of actions despite having the issue of finding evidence to prove this.
ReplyDeleteI think that the executives should 100% have to face jail time. The company was already corrupt when Stefanie entered and the laundering was going on long before she was transferred to Chicago. The executives mentioned were actually indicted but they were out of the US reach once they returned to Germany.
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