The AIG scandal has turned company execs from pillars of their communities into dastardly villains, reports the New York Times. Witness James Haas—or Jackpot Jimmy as the New York Post calls him. "I didn’t have anything to do with those credit problems,” says Haas, who fought back tears and told reporters outside his home of death threats. He's returned his bonus, and other top execs are doing the same, but that didn't stop a neighbor from stopping by to berate him to the press.
"This is a complete invasion of privacy," says Haas. "There are kids involved." Many AIG execs now have private security guards outside their homes. Employees have been warned not to leave the office during protests, to hide company-issued IDs, to ditch any possessions with AIG logos. “It is as bad if not worse than McCarthyism,” said one executive. (More AIG stories.)