Smith & Wesson chief was an armed robber
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
27 February 2004


James Joseph Minder seemed the perfect chairman for Smith & Wesson - a respected member of the business community in Phoenix who had previously set up and run his own company to help disadvantaged youths.

Alas, there was one problem. Mr Minder, 74, had spent more than a decade in prison for a string of armed robberies.

And yesterday, the management consultant resigned from the legendary handgun manufacturer, two weeks after an Arizona newspaper revealed his misspent youth in the 1950s and 1960s. At first, Smith & Wesson's astonished board unanimously rejected his offer to step down as his criminal past became public.

Asked by The Arizona Republic newspaper why he hadn't told directors when he joined the board in 2001, Mr Minder replied: "Nobody asked. They didn't ask me the question, so I guess I never answered it. The only thing that would have disqualified me was if I had committed securities fraud in the last 20 years, and I hadn't." But yesterday the chairman bowed to the inevitable, and quit. "I felt it was the best thing to do for the company, given the circumstances," he said.

Those circumstances include 15 years spent in prison in Michigan, starting with four years served between 1951 and 1955 for robbing a store when he was a journalism student at university.

After being released on parole, he went on a second crime spree during which, according to The Detroit News of the day, his weapon of choice was a sawn-off shotgun.

After leaving prison, Mr Minder and his wife founded, in 1976, Spectrum Human Services, a non-profit group to help delinquent boys in Michigan.

He then retired to Phoenix, where he joined the board of a local company which bought Smith & Wesson in 2001 from Britain's Tomkins group.

Smith & Wesson was founded 150 years ago. It produces the celebrated .357 Magnum, and the .38 Special, the only handgun in the world, the company claims, which has been in continuous production since its introduction in 1899

Smith & Wesson chief quits over crime

Chairman of the nation's No. 2 gun maker resigns over past armed robbery, a newspaper report says.
February 27, 2004: 11:24 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - James Joseph Minder, chairman of handgun maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., resigned after a published report revealed he'd spent as much as 15 years in prison decades ago for armed robberies and a bank heist.
The Republican, a daily newspaper in Springfield, Mass., reported Thursday that Minder confirmed his resignation without realizing that the company had not made an official announcement.
Smith & Wesson, the nation's second-largest gun manufacturer, told CNN/Money that it plans to release a statement later Friday but did not wish to comment on the newspaper report or confirm Minder's resignation at this time.
Minder was named chairman of Smith & Wesson (SWB: up $0.06 to $1.60, Research, Estimates) just last month amid a board shake-up

[QUOTE=DOK]Smith & Wesson chief quits over crime

James Joseph Minder, chairman of handgun maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., resigned after a published report revealed he'd spent as much as 15 years in prison decades ago for armed robberies and a bank heist. Why resign? He went to jail and paid for his wild ways....I'm glad that I have S&W handguns, I know there great because an ex con was in charge!! :p

Man, feel bad for the guy. He seems to have turned his life around since then.

Regrettable.

A look into my past will cause concern. It was that past, and the subsiquent turn around that makes me what I am today.

It is a sad day when a man is measured by what he was, rather than what he is! That works both ways too, since some folks like to use some great feat of the past to justify derelect behavior today.

My nickles worth.

Scotty

Certainly regrettable, but I would suggest that a person smart enough to perform at that senior level of management, is also smart enough to have known he should have volunteered his history prior to selection. "They didn't ask" is a pretty lame excuse.

Dan

I agree, he should have been forthright with S&W about his past. But I wish the media, and most people for that matter, would ask the question: Did Mr. Minder serve his sentence? Yes he did. This isn't about someone who got away with a crime years ago and then got caught only recently. He served his time. That's why we have sentencing, and "fair" retribution in this country. He carries this all his life; what else do we expect from him? Considering the percentage of convicts who never get out of the repeating cycle of being in and out of prison, it's refreshing to see someone who apparently found a way to turn himself around. Unfortunately, the media puts this in terms that makes S&W seem like criminals as well.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now...

It's the price you pay in life for having committed crimes. One can say he paid for his crimes, but victims often never forget, and he'll carry that the rest of his life. Whether or not that should matter in this case I can't judge. As to the declaring part, almost no one will hire you if you declare that, and people get in the mindset of don't tell. I can't blame him for that. I do think his choice of a company to work for was pretty poor though. And I'm sure it'll hurt the image of the gun industry as a result. We all have our demons in life, and they often affect the decisions we make later on. Let's just hope this passes over quickly for both him and firearm owners.

-MJ

In most states he would have been crime free long enough to move to restore all his rights and have the record sealed. Probably should have done that before he took the job.