FBI Arrests Entire Goldman Sachs Executive Board-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Viral reports claim that Goldman Sachs’ entire executive board has been arrested by the FBI for defrauded millions of people in the lead up to the 2008 financial crisis.
The Truth:
A fake news website is behind false reports that the FBI has arrested members of Goldman Sachs executive board for defrauding investors.
The story appeared at The Good Lord Above, a satirical website, in April 2016 under the headline, “Entire Goldman Sachs Executive Board Arrested by FBI.” The story reports:
NEW YORK – The FBI on Wednesday raided the headquarters of the Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs and arrested the entire executive board, including CEO Lloyd Blankfein.
“We’ve been after Goldman Sachs for years,” said an FBI representative. “There’s no reality where these criminals were gonna get away with their crimes forever.”
FBI forces stormed the reception desk at Goldman Sachs shortly after 9am, tossing containers of knockout gas into conference rooms and shared workspaces to pacify resistance.
Within days, the false report about a crackdown on Goldman Sachs board members was viewed more than 100,000 times. Many who viewed the report that The Good Lord Above identifies itself a satirical website in its disclaimer:
Thou shalt remember that The First Amendment protects satire as a form of free speech and expression. TheGoodLordAbove uses invented names in all of its stories, except in cases where public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental. TheGoodLordAbove is not intended for readers under 18 years of age.
In reality, no Goldman Sachs employees were arrested as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.