Scenario: You are the public information officer for a small state agency, which has limited law enforcement capabilities. Two of your special agents are involved in an undercover investigation, which shows that a local Elks Lodge group, The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, #203, has had over $450,000 stolen over 5 years by its own bookkeeper. Despite your own investigation proving this, the Elks group has decided not to believe your agency and believe the bookkeeper. The Elks group has a state senator as part of its membership, who is now putting pressure on your state agency and its executive director to back off, despite the issue of several state and federal laws being broken. The state senator is threatening hearings to expose overreach by the agency, which in part seems as an effort to hide the Elks’ culpability. If the Elks were found to have been the victims of an embezzlement, it would hurt their image and ability to fundraise, and donors might distrust where the funds go. Portions of the investigation have been leaked to the media, likely by the Elks group, presenting the state agency as a bully with unnecessary investigative authority.
Task 1: Create enough believable data, based off of the scenario above, on what the investigators found, which would showcase how the rotary bookkeeper was able to steal over $450,000 from a local non-profit group. Detail what Elks groups are, the ways that they fundraise their money, and how each fundraiser might have been harmed by the bookkeeper absconding. This also means detailing out each revenue source within the Elks Lodge itself (such as the bar, event bookings, etc), that the bookkeeper could have stolen from. (450 points)
Task 2: Develop a communications plan which counters the Elk’s claims of unfair investigation to the media. You cannot go into too many specifics of the case as it may harm the investigation or the prosecutor’s ability to prosecute the bookkeeper. From your Task 1, limit exactly what you can and cannot reveal about the case, in order to protect the investigation but also prove that your state agency is not creating a malicious prosecution of a valued non-profit in the community (450 points).
Grading Breakdown:
– This paper will be no less than 1,500 words (1000 total points)
– Task 1 (450 points)
– Task 2 (450 points)
– Proofreading (50 points)
– APA Citations and References Page (50 points)
· Your paper will include a title page and references. Your paper will be double-spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman. Your paper should be no less than 1,500 words and 5 citations.
