Philanthropic Criminals in the Netherlands

Organised crime is strongly embedded in local structures and successful criminals may thus also be involved in activities to support local communities. For example, some people in Colombia continue to worship Pablo Escobar for financing facilities for sports, education, housing and health care in his area of residence. The Kray twins, who were notorious criminals in 1960s London regularly organised fund-raising events for good causes when they were short on cash. In the Netherlands 'undermining' (subversive, disruptive) crime is currently high on the agenda, and this raised the question whether philanthropic criminals also occur in the Netherlands, and if so in which activities they are involved in. A survey amongst municipalities shows that one-third has been confronted with at least one person who qualifies as a philanthropic criminal. Further analysis of 52 case examples reveals that they mostly sponsor sports clubs; own charities; sponsor events and fund-raising activities; run private companies for health care provision; and some act as ‘informal mayors’ in their neighbourhoods. Three main types of philanthropic criminals emerge: 1) those involved in organised crime, mostly drug production and trafficking; 2) corporate criminals and persons who have a background in the criminal underworld but now run legitimate businesses and 3) outlaw motorcycle gangs. Motives range from ‘just wanting to be liked’ and enhancing one’s public image to misusing philanthropic activities for committing and facilitating crimes.