Sex and Illegal Drugs in the Corporate World and Among the Super Rich

Re:  My posting of 10/6/11:

This is a follow-up to my previous comments concerning Billionaire Paul Allen.  However, my current comments are not intended to infer any direct relevance to Paul Allen – either his personal life or his business practices.  I have no knowledge of Allen’s, or his colleagues’, ethics or life style, other than what have been publicly revealed.  No, this is related to a comment by one of my readers that happens to interest me.

Reader’s Comment:  You throw on the table what are either acts of illicit sex or illegal drugs?  Sex and use of drugs are not all that uncommon in the corporate world today, sorry to say.

True’s Response:  First, my initial comments were speculation, a guess, based on the civil suit’s premise.

However, regarding sex and illegal drugs in the corporate world, or among the rich and powerful for that matter, I do have some thoughts and observations.

As security expertise pertains to the workplace, there are many specialties.  A few of which are as follows:  Corporate Security; Executive Protection (body guards); Technology / Computer Protection / Alarms / Perimeter Security; Accounting and Forensic Accounting; Security Guards; etc.

I was in Corporate Security with a major international corporation (publicly held) with a Board of Directors, a CEO, numerous Senior VPs, Directors, and Executives who all operated under the legal strictures of a publicly held (share holders’ based) company.  Was there sex and illegal drug problems?  Yes, but they were never condoned and/or financed by the company.  In fact, they were investigated and treated very seriously to include termination and often prosecution.  A company, particularly a major corporation, faces a considerable downside when it comes to employee misconduct.  Massive civil suits, federal intervention, and harm to brand name are always concerns.  Corporate Security does get involved in Executive Protection matters – at times.  However, it is usually rather formal; and has little resemblance to being a ‘body guard.’

In contrast, let’s discuss ‘body guard’ work – such as what you might expect when employed by someone like Paul Allen, or say Paul McCartney (Ex-Beatle in the news and recently married).  I’ve never been involved in actual ‘body guard’ work, but I’ve spoken with several who were.

The Pauls are among the super rich; and when you go to work for someone like that you should expect to leave some of your personal ethics or morals at the door.  Not only that, but the work can often be somewhat demeaning.


For example, I once talked with a former body guard who worked for a rock band.  He was a former cop, and had just about seen everything in his former career.  But, he too was shocked at what he was expected to do.  His duties included being awakened and expected to run to a burger joint at 3:00AM to pick up food, looking the other way when some of the band members were indulging in their favorite pastimes to include illegal drugs and indiscriminate sex with some very young looking women / girls.  As well as being called upon to meet, greet, sweet talk and procure young women to meet ‘the boys.’  That said, there are some obvious benefits – if you’re so inclined.  Some women would do almost anything to meet ‘the boys;’ and, of course, there were always the female hand-me-downs.  Such duties would strain the ethics of most of us, because it is a life which few of us have experienced.  One could almost say that the Mafia has more easily definable ethical standards - albeit dubious.  Anyway, the former cop told me that he lasted less than a year.  He just couldn’t do it.

I suppose my final comment, regarding Paul Allen (and I don’t know the circumstances of the civil suit against him), is that I would expect the worst when taking a job with a super rich individual.  That’s not to say they are all as described above.  But, when you are as rich as Paul Allen or Paul McCartney many social mores, commonly observed by the general public, seem irrelevant to them.

There is a saying in the military, ‘rank has its privileges (RHIP).’  For the super rich, this is a concept of entitlement embraced by many; a mindset that goes well beyond the immediate right to buy whatever strikes their fancy.

True Nelson