AIBU - brothers crimes are mine?

[guiltybyassociation]

I am absolutely raging and I'm not sure if I'm overreacting so would really appreciate some opinions.

Background: 9 years ago my brother and I set up a company (let's call it XYZ Ltd), both of us Directors, with the intention of doing up houses and selling them on. I ended up feeling uncomfortable about it as it felt like a big risk for both of us and so 3 months later I told my brother I wanted out and resigned as a Director. This is all visible at companies house and appears when you google my (relatively unusual) name.

3 years ago my brother was arrested on serious drugs charges (selling). He is currently serving a 10 year sentence.

Fast forward to today; I have a great, hard earnt career that spans over 12 years. I'm highly regarded in my field. I love my brother dearly, but we are completed different people who took completely different paths in life. He is my biggest cheerleader to be honest and regrets his choices massively.

I had a job interview on Thursday with a fairly small company. It went amazing and the CEO pretty much offered me the job at the end of it. All great. Then today, the recruiter phoned me and said that the CEO had just been doing some further research into me and wanted to know more about XYZ Ltd. In 12 years and 4 jobs I have never been asked about this. I knew immediately that the CEO had obviously found something about my brother. I told the recruiter the above, said I felt incredibly uncomfortable at feeling forced to into a corner with it, but I have nothing to hide but she was adamant it was an innocent question and nothing to do with that.

An hour later the CEO rings me, said that he purposely didn't tell the recruiter he knew about my brother because he wanted to see if I would 'Fess up' but now that I had he was willing to forget about it and proceed to an offer.

I am absolutely furious. In my mind I have absolutely nothing to 'fess up' to. I am not my brothers keeper. I feel like it is a complete invasion of privacy and that my private life has been laid out to be judged, and that even if I took the job after all this, my reputation there will always be tainted by it. I'm also concerned that this is going to start a domino effect in the Industry of people associating this with me.

So my AIBU;
Yes - brothers record and my involvement with him make it fair game for an interview
No - complete overstep by the CEO

If you put your name into Google, does it link to news/court reports of your brother’s conviction? I would imagine that everyone does at least a quick search of interviewees these days.

Also, this may be an unfair extrapolation, but if someone gets a hefty sentence for drug dealing, then I would assume it wasn’t the first time they had committed the crime. Meaning that 6 years earlier they could also have been a criminal - just one that hadn’t been caught.

They are within their rights to ask as their reputation could be at stake! You were honest and showed your integrity, which was appreciated by the CEO. You're not being punished for anything!

@Cam2020

They are within their rights to ask as their reputation could be at stake! You were honest and showed your integrity, which was appreciated by the CEO. You're not being punished for anything!

Yes but HE wasn't honest. He was underhand and opaque, also using "fess up" language around a conversation about criminal activity is pretty crass.

Getting a job is two way, not just whether your boss rates you but whether you rate your boss.

@HollowTalk no, when you google my name you just get a load of work related articles, then on the second page you get the XYZ Ltd link. So yes, I believe he must have found the company, looked at Directors and then searched my brother separately.

Unfortunately when you search him you are hit with some pretty horrendous news articles

Really appreciate everyone's input here, and I promise I am taking everything on board because I think it can be hard to see clearly when emotions/family are involved.

Ultimately I think I would have done the same in his position, and as a pp has said, perhaps I should be pleased he's asked me about it rather than seen it and dismissed me as a candidate.

@guiltybyassociation

Really appreciate everyone's input here, and I promise I am taking everything on board because I think it can be hard to see clearly when emotions/family are involved.

Ultimately I think I would have done the same in his position, and as a pp has said, perhaps I should be pleased he's asked me about it rather than seen it and dismissed me as a candidate.

It’s ridiculous, I know a QC who is heavily involved in class As, plus the majority of traders that I unfortunately have to interact with. I have never so much as smoked weed but I hope you researched your potential boss as much as he stalked you?