Posts tagged Shoplifting
Is DOJ Using Victimless “Crime” to Justify Long-term Detention?

Imagine being indicted for a crime with no victim. For the sake of illustration, let’s say you’ve been arrested for shoplifting…but then the shop owner denies you stole anything. In fact, the owner organizes protests demanding your release. But the prosecution sends law enforcement to your home, who then ransacks it looking for “evidence” to fit the allegations. While they are there, your house “mysteriously” catches fire and burns, possibly destroying exculpatory evidence in the process. Now imagine that they gain access to every financial account you have and seize all your assets and property. Then they go to the judge and claim that, because you have a good deal of money in your accounts, you own a nice car, house and even a boat, that this is clearly evidence that you’ve funded these things through shoplifting because 'how else would you have the money for these things?' Never mind that you’ve been a successful entrepreneur for years, and you purchased these assets years prior to the alleged shoplifting—and that since the store owner denies you’ve stolen anything, this is a victimless “crime.” You’re presumed guilty and treated like a criminal.


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