If they serve, say, at total of 10 years each, then it might be worth it to them if they are housed in white collar prisons, their families are taken care of, and they have safe and secure retirement awaiting them when they get out.
Robocall bagmen admit they collected millions of dollars from victims scammed by bogus IRS officials, lenders
Two bagmen who collected cash from thousands of victims of robocall scams have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. Pradipsinh Parmar, 41, and Sumer Patel, 37, both Indian nationals, crisscrossed [PDF] the United States visiting different branches of Western Union, MoneyGram, and Walmart2Walmart to collect money from people …
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Wednesday 24th February 2021 03:45 GMT Anonymous Coward
Taken for a ride, twice
So first these thieves still millions of dollars from American citizens, then the courts will put those same citizens on the hook for the similar cost of keeping the thieves locked up in prison for a decade or so. Why not send them back to India with a stern warning that if they're caught on US soil again they will be shot on sight, and if they make even a single scam call into the US the CIA will burn down their homes in the dead of night? As it is, everyone loses.
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Wednesday 24th February 2021 06:03 GMT Flocke Kroes
Re: Taken for a ride, twice
There are some nasty gotchas to plea bargaining. First up, you have to admit to everything. Every bundle of cash received and where you stashed it. After you have divulged everything the police can decide you missed something and tear up the plea bargaining agreement. Without a plea bargain you may have to wait a very long time for your retirement party, On the other hand if you have terminal brain cancer and cannot afford your medical bills...
There are several good reasons for banning capital punishment. It is not a deterrent as criminals are certain that they are so smart that they will never get caught. If you execute the wrong person an apology does not really fix anything. There is also the matter of what sort of person you become if you cheer for the deaths of others - or even just try to pretend you cannot do anything to stop it.
Transportation has been tried as a method of punishment. Dumping your rubbish is someone else's back yard can go wrong in several ways. In some places it is equal to a death sentence. In others the transportees can become crime bosses / religious leaders / presidents.
As for burning down homes not all insurance companies and banks deserve that. I suppose that the punishment will make it difficult for the scammers to get insurance or a mortgage but remember they are scammers: "Pay up or I will give your address to the CIA as my new home."
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Thursday 25th February 2021 06:33 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Taken for a ride, twice
No, they just need to turn up missing; from when they get sentenced to their trip to the prison. Problem solved on several fronts:
1) Taxpayers paying to house them during their sentence
2) They will never be able to start this scam again
Wishful thinking. More realistically, hopefully they are going to a real prison for non-white collar crimes. Maybe someone serving time there and will be there for a very longtime (thus nothing to lose) and their mother was swindled in this scam will provide their own form of justice onto the trio.
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
