Abstract

PULIDO ESTEVA, Diego. The “Peleles”: Life Insurance Fraud in Mexico, 1902-1908. Hist. mex. [online]. 2021, vol.70, n.3, pp.1397-1436.  Epub Feb 19, 2021. ISSN 2448-6531.  https://doi.org/10.24201/hm.v70i3.4187.

This article recounts a series of frauds committed against Mexico’s main life insurance companies in the early years of the 20th Century. It has the goal of understanding economic crime and fraud in historical perspective, with the objective of enriching the historiography on criminality. It uses a variety of sources, including court documents, police reports and newspaper articles. Among its contributions, it reveals early manifestations of organized crime that specialized in defrauding insurance companies, as well as criminal behavior that was far removed from the stereotypes and stigmas of poor, marginalized social actors.

Keywords : Fraud; Counterfeiting; Life Insurance; Organized Crime; White Collar Crime.

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