Working on Follow the Money, our anti-corruption training game, has really caused cases of corruption to stand out in the news. All across the globe every day, corrupt officials launder money, commit fraud, and accept bribes. One particular case in recent news really stood out to us – as it represented a corrupt official not only abusing power but intentionally endangering the public for the sake of personal gain.
California Senator Leland Yee is facing serious corruption charges after brokering an arms deal with an undercover federal agent. Yee was allegedly prepared to agree to a $2 million arrangement, which included purchasing shoulder-fired rockets from Islamic rebels in the Philippines. The Senator has also been reported to take illegal campaign contributions in return for promised political favors. Yee is rumored to have engaged in these actions in order to raise money for his California Secretary of State campaign.
Leland Yee is charged with a laundry list of crimes, including money laundering, public corruption, and gun trafficking. These topics are exactly the types of issues that need to be addressed in society today. The Federal Bureau of Investigation spent millions of dollars and seven years to run the sting operation that resulted in the indictment of twenty-nine people including the California Senator. Building a court case against a corrupt government official is the focus of our game, and is exactly what real life investigators are experiencing right now in California.
Agents that played roles in the investigation are now under scrutiny that their involvement could be classified as entrapment, a go-to defense of politicians and more when caught in a government sting. However, the accused must prove that they weren’t predisposed to committing the crime without government intervention, which can be quite difficult to achieve. If the agents properly followed procedure while investigating and collecting evidence, there should be no problem with the charges levied against Yee.
It is stories of corruption like this that encouraged us to start work on Follow the Money; and it is stories like this that keep us working hard to make a difference. The fictional government official highlighted in our game is engaged in corruption not unlike the activities that Senator Yee has allegedly participated in. And that is what Follow the Money is all about: simulating real life crimes and investigations to help law enforcers to learn how to effectively investigate and prosecute corrupt official.
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