Re: Martha Stewart\'s
While I don't have any specific figures I'll bet there are a LOT of people who have misappropriated that much money or more making payments to the government or the IRS and are not going to jail /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I don't know how much money she actually gained, the stock transaction was for $250k, the profit over what she was optioned the stock as may have only been a few thousand, I don't know.
I don't want to confuse the legal system with the justice system! Legally it appears that they have enough information to seek her arrest. However, then she gets to go before a judge who is supposed to meter out justice. I don't want to live in a system where everyone is treated equal no matter what. I want to be treated like an individual and I want the judge to listen to my story. If I made a mistake that I can make real reparations for (like paying back the money or something) and no people were hurt in the transaction and I have no record or other problems that would lead the judge to decide I am a repeat offender and I can show that my intention was not criminal and that it was an honest mistake. Then why should I go to jail? nothing is gained by that except a miscarriage of justice. If you want to short circuit that system by installing a "mandatory minimum sentance" or other such garbage then why have judges at all, just let the police take you away to begin with.
Now, if she is unable to convince the judge that it was a mistake that she is willing to correct and if the judge thinks that she had real intent to defraud in doing this, then thats another story!
I'm not saying that the amount of money involved isn't enough that the gov should ignore it, only that I'm giving Martha enough credit to assume that for that amount of money she would not have done something that was going to land her in jail! She could probably write a check for that amount out of her checking account right now! She's either a LOT stupider than her savvy business moves in the past would have us believe, or it's all a horrible mistake!