Interview with McKinley Tabor

The article I chose is based on an interview with McKinley Tabor entitled, Why I Compromised My Professional Code of Ethics. McKinley Tabor was a former CPA who worked as a controller for First National Bank of Crossville, Tennessee. The article outlines Mr. Tabor’s misconduct and the consequences that came along with this act of dishonesty.

Mr. Tabor’s Background

Mr. Tabor was an educated man. He graduated from The Louisiana State University, where he earned his Masters in Banking. Although, Mr. Tabor was the first to finish school with a college degree he did not come from an under privileged up bringing. He came from a very prominent family in his local town were his father was the County Judge. McKinley Tabor describes himself “a big duck in a little pond”. (Tabor) After working as a CPA for Peat, Marwick, Main and Co. he returned to his hometown and went to work for a large community bank, First National Bank of Crossville, Tennessee. He soon married and began a life of promise. The Tabor’s were accustomed to a certain lifestyle. They were held in high regards. Everyone in the town knew them and their families. The Tabors were an image of perfection. This image Mr. Tabor would struggle to hang on to. Ultimately his desire to uphold this image would become his downfall.

The “Act”

Mr. Tabor worked for the bank for seven years. It was not until his fifth year did he comprised his integrity. In the last two years of employment he committed 23 separate offenses. The crimes he committed in terms of dollar value were small. Initially he would post payments on his personal credit cards before he actually made them. After the ease of the initial offenses he realized he could continue to defraud the bank. Most of his offenses were similar. They consisted of manipulating general ledgers and issuing cashier’s check for his personal gain.

The “Last Act”

Eventually the pressure threw Mr. Tabor into depression and he took a leave of absence from the bank. He never returned to First National Bank of Crossville and subsequently went to work for another financial institution. This is when his fraud was exposed. Before Mr. Tabor left First National Bank of Crossville he cashed a duplicate interest check, owed to the bank, for his personal benefit. The item was eventually discovered and the brokerage house demanded repayment from the bank. This triggered an investigation and his other acts of dishonesty were discovered. Mr. Tabor was incarcerated 21 months for his crime.

Why he did it

Once Mr. Tabor’s crimes were discovered he pled guilty to most of the charges and