Quote:
Originally Posted by speeder
That's a special kind of stupid. Banking related crimes are all federal offenses w huge sentences and hardly any early parole- not like shooting someone in L.A. and getting out 4 years later, etc...
A prosecutor once explained to me the stupidity of most bank robberies- they hardly get any $$ and the penalty is federal and stiff. 10 years for first offense and with perfect behavior, you do 85% of your sentence, so 8.5 years. Check fraud, OTOH, is not federal and people sometimes get huge amounts of $$ if they are good at it.
Not advocating for anyone to commit crime but just sayin'....  |
One of my oldest friends, a guy I grew up with, has a son who went completely off the rails. We're talking heroin addiction and everything that goes with it, culminating in a life of crime to support his habit. He eventually worked his way up to bank robbery.
In his first conviction, for multiple robberies, he wound up getting out in two years for "good behavior", being a "model prisoner" and all. This was a multiple count federal rap.
He stayed clean for a couple of years, looking like he was back on track. Then he fell back in with his old "friends" and resumed his old habits. Robbed a few more banks, this time while visibly armed. He has been in prison for about three years now, once again on a multi-count rap, this time adding the "armed" component to all of it.
He will be getting out next summer, after about four years. From his second multi-count bank robbery conviction, this time armed. His sentence was something like twelve years.
So, what I'm getting at, is that my experiences with a young man who I know personally seem to differ a good deal from what your prosecutor friend told you. Granted, I really wish it were more like you describe, and that this young man would be facing something a bit stiffer than he has, but that is not what I've seen play out.