The Informant (book)
 |
|
| Author | Kurt Eichenwald |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Lysine price-fixing conspiracy |
| Publisher |
Random House (hardback) Broadway Books (paperbacks) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 624 (hardback) 656 (trade paperback and movie tie-in edition) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 44045679 |
| 364.16/8/0973 1 | |
| LC Class | HV8144.F43 E53 2000 |
The Informant is a nonfiction white-collar crime book written by journalist Kurt Eichenwald and published in 2000 by Random House. It documents the mid-1990s lysine price-fixing conspiracy case and the involvement of Archer Daniels Midland executive Mark Whitacre, inspiring a film adaptation starring Matt Damon as Whitacre.
In the early 1990s, at the agri-business conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Mark Whitacre is a corporate vice president and head of the bio-products division. In November 1992, under pressure from his wife, Whitacre confesses to an FBI agent that he, along with other ADM executives, routinely met with competitors to fix the price of lysine, a food additive. Afterwards, Whitacre assists in gathering evidence against the other conspirators by secretly taping their activities during overseas business meetings. Over the course of three years, the FBI collects hundreds of hours of video and audio tapes documenting the largest case of price-fixing in history.
Whitacre is revealed to have defrauded $9 million from ADM at the same time he was aiding the FBI. After federal agents stage raid on ADM, the company hits back with damning evidence against the government's star witness. Whitacre becomes delusional and engages in pathological lying to save himself, leading the FBI to learn that he suffers from bipolar disorder. Worst of all, he gives false stories to the media about being forced to destroy evidence by the FBI. Whitacre becomes extremely manic, stops sleeping, and exhibits bizarre behavior as his meltdown continues. He attempts suicide a few months later, but is saved by his groundskeeper.
...
Wikipedia