Monday, July 23, 2012

Steal $12,000 - get probation

Woman steals $12,000... and all she gets is probation?

Presumably because she didn't physically assault anyone - all she did was steal the identity of her ex-boyfriend;s mother, got a credit card, and spent $12,000 on it.

Funnily enough, she bought a lottery ticket, which was a million dollar winner. (I don' understand that, by the way - you can't buy lottery tickets with a credit card - mebbe she got a cash advance and used that money...). Anyway, the police have taken the money away from her. I hope at least they gave $12,000 of that to the store owners she defrauded.

What's really funny about this story is that it all happened...in 2007. Five years ago. The woman has been appealing the loss of the money for 5 years...it took 5 years for the courts to decide that the police acted properly. Four years.

That is beyond ridiculous.

Frrom Seattle PI:  Court: Ore. police can seize $1M lottery prize
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that a southwestern Oregon city's police department can collect a $1 million cash prize originally awarded to a woman who authorities say bought a scratch ticket through illegal means in 2005.
The Mail Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/NqSvZ7) 45-year-old Christina Elizabeth Goodenow argues stripping her of the winnings was excessive punishment.
In 2005, Goodenow stole the identity of her boyfriend's deceased mother and used her Visa card to make $12,000 in purchases, including the winning lottery ticket. She pleaded no contest to the crimes and was sentenced to probation.
As part of her sentencing, the lottery money was forfeited to the Medford Police Department. Police agencies in Oregon can collect money gained through criminal activity.
Goodenow, in an attempt to keep her winnings, filed an appeal in 2007.

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