FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
DATE:  February 28, 2006       
CONTACT: Dr. Valrie Chambers, Associate Professor, College of Business, (361) 825-6012; Steve Paschal, Public Affairs, (361) 825-2336


University Students to Pursue White-Collar Criminals during Internal Revenue Service/College of Business ‘Who-dun-it”
 
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students interested in solving white-collar crimes will test their sleuthing skills when the Internal Revenue Service and the College of Business stage a financial “Who-dun-it” on Friday, March 3 from 1 to 7 p.m. on the University campus beginning in Corpus Christi Hall, Room 110.

The mock investigation will be similar to a dinner theater mystery but with financial crimes instead of murder. After a brief introduction and instructions, approximately 24 students of various majors will break up into several groups to solve different crimes. The aspiring detectives will interview witnesses, use computer information and go “dumpster-diving” as they gather evidence. Crimes investigated could include tax evasion or the failure of a drug dealer to declare illegal income.
The program is designed so that the IRS can interest capable students in the field of criminal investigation through hands-on simulations. This is the third year that the College of Business has conducted the exercise which was recently awarded the Bobby G. Bizzell Innovative Achievement Award by the Southwestern Business Deans'.

“This is a ground-breaking program, especially for this region, because it is the only one currently held in Texas,” said Dr. Valrie Chambers, associate professor with the University’s College of Business. “Students will not only learn about this important emerging field, but they will also learn more about their own personal aptitudes and interests and if they really want to do this for a living.”

The students will be supervised by special agents from the IRS Special Investigation Division and will work with the groups throughout the afternoon to follow through on tips, interview witnesses and suspects, execute search warrants, and analyze financial records.

“Because most crimes involve money there is a demand for investigators with a financial background,” said Chambers. “The students with financial majors will learn that being an accountant doesn’t mean that their careers will be spent working at a desk and the criminal justice students will learn that possessing knowledge of accounting will enhance their investigative skills.”