Roy William Harris

Roy William "Will" Harris was the Chief Executive Officer and majority shareholder of Arochem Corporation, a now defunct refinery and petrochemical plant located in Ponce, Puerto Rico which ceased operation in 1992. Williams, a former successful commodities trader, was the central figure in United States v. Harris (1996), a case involving numerous charges of financial crimes.[1] Harris was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, money laundering, engaging in a continuing financial crimes enterprise (CFCE).[2] Harris was the first non-drug lord ever convicted of the CFCE statute which was intended to be used on drug kingpins as a method of seizing the resources of wealthy outlaws and to deprive them of resources.[3] The case highlighted the intricate financial fraud that led to the collapse of Arochem but also served as an essential legal precedent for issues related to the application of the CFCE statute and the role of financial institutions in fraud detection.[2] Harris fought his convictions in various appellate courts for more than ten years through the 1990s and 2000s.[4]

  1. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (1992-05-28). "Oil Trading Firm's Ex-CEO Indicted for Fraud : Energy: He is the second Arochem Corp. executive charged with swindling a group of banks out of more than $150 million". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  2. ^ a b "Prosecutors use new weapon in war on white collar crime - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  3. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; FORMER EXECUTIVE CONVICTED IN BANK FRAUD CONSPIRACY". The New York Times. 1992.
  4. ^ "Harris v. U.S., 97 Civ. 1904 (CSH) | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2024-10-22.