Taking Down the Lion: The Rise and Fall of Tyco's Dennis Kozlowski Read Free Page B

chained to a gurney in a strange emergency room.
    Missing happy, joyful events also hurts. I could not attend Cheryl’s wedding some three years ago and missed the births of two grandchildren. The last nine years of my life have been dedicated to two trials and almost 6 years in jail. That’s about 20% of my adult life. It’s difficult seeing violent criminals and child molesters come and go here (serving 2 to 3 years) while my life passes me by. Many investors, employees, vendors, and communities benefited from the 27 years I spent growing Tyco and they continue to benefit today. I feel I deserve better than the rough justice of New York State.
    Regards,
    Dennis 5

Part Two
    Timing Is Everything
    The old adage “timing is everything” is true, which is probably why it has endured. Occasionally, an unlikely intersection of people, places, and circumstances conjures unexpected good fortune—the joy and magic of the human experience. It doesn’t happen often, but on rare occasions, timing is perfect. With equal force and numinosity, the same kind of arbitrary temporal collision can end in tragedy when the fates align with exact synchronicity and, against all odds, produce a perfect storm. This doesn’t happen often either, but on rare occasions, timing is perfect.

Dennis Kozlowski with his mother Agnes when Kozlowski graduated from Seton Hall University in the spring of 1968.
    Dennis Kozlowski in the boardroom in Exeter, New Hampshire where he became the CEO of Tyco International Ltd. in 1992. © William Taufic.
    Kozlowski proudly showing off some of the valves manufactured by Tyco during the 1990s. © William Taufic.
    Former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski on the day he was sentenced, processed, and identified as inmate 05A4820 by the New York State prison system.
    Former Tyco CFO Mark Swartz after being convicted and sentenced in 2005. Swartz was identified by the State of New York as inmate 05A4823.

Part Three
    Ring around the White-Collar of Criminal Justice
    Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau was long-known for his pursuit of white-collar criminals. Morgenthau said, “It’s very important that the government doesn’t go after only people who rob convenience stores. I made a point of going after people in positions of power and trust. The law applies to everyone. That’s the message I wanted to send.” More than a decade after he charged Tyco executives with serious crimes under New York State law, Morgenthau explained his decision to prosecute Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz. He said, “It sent a message to a lot of people. You can’t conceal information and get away with it.” 1
    Robert Morgenthau was the inspiration for Manhattan District Attorney “Adam Schiff” on the long-running Dick Wolf television drama Law & Order. Morgenthau outlasted his fictional counterpart’s tenure by decades. Morgenthau held the office from 1974 until he retired in 2009 at the age of 90. After leaving public service, Morgenthau along with his personal assistant of nearly 40 years, Ida Van Lindt, joined the New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz on West 52nd Street in Manhattan.

Seventeen
    Cut from Whole Cloth
    The expression “cut from whole cloth” was originally used to describe clothing the material for which was cut from a run of fabric taken straight from the loom—it was whole and had never been used for another purpose. Clothing that was cut from whole cloth was special. It was not seamed or structurally weak, but was well made and with integrity that set it apart from less valuable garments that were pieced together from remnants or from the repurposing of tattered cloth.
    During the 1800s, tailors began advertising clothing as cut from whole cloth even though the claims were untrue—the clothing in fact was made from old fabric that was cut and creatively pieced together so it appeared to be of high quality when in fact it was weak and lacked structural integrity. The tailors’