Curt Johnson Legal Troubles Featured in Forbes Magazine

Calling Curt Johnson a "profligate son," FORBES 400 takes a close look at the and what they mean locally. 

The criminal case began in March, when . The charges closely followed him taking a leave of absence from Diversey, Inc., the company he ran. His sister, Helen Johnson-Leipold, has since been named chairwoman of the company. 

Johnson posted $500,000 cash bond, and is out of custody. , . For more information, see 

FORBES 400 reporter Clare O'Connor covers billionaires for the magazine, and she spent several days in Racine researching the story. She wrote about the obvious impact the Johnson family has in the Racine area, and speculates about what Curt Johnson's criminal case means. 

O'Connor writes:

Racine is holding its collective breath for the trial to begin, probably some time next year. Much stir though the scandal has caused, few Racinians are willing to talk openly about it. Lurid fascination is tempered by fear of who might be listening in.

O'Connor called SC Johnson's corporate trajectory "remarkable," noting that the company has continued growing through several generations. She wrote about the company's history of generosity, from profit sharing with employees to philanthropy within the community.

Relying heavily on unnamed sources—people who spoke on condition of anonymity—O'Connor wrote people have long believed Curt Johnson to be the troubled son of the family, with rumors of drug and alcohol abuse. 

"When you're a parent with substance abuse issues who sees a child with the same ones, you try to help the best you can," one of O'Connor's sources said. "Then Sam dies. I can't imagine it's been easy for (siblings) Helen (Johnson-Leipold) and Fisk (Johnson)." 

O'Connor wrote that some wonder whether Curt Johnson can get a fair trial, "where it could prove difficult to track down 12 jury members with no connection to SC Johnson" or the Johnsons.