Albert Lea Discussion Forum » Printable Version of Topic » Man gets 120 days for Counterfeiting

Forum: Current Events
Topic: Man gets 120 days for Counterfeiting
started by: Liberal

Posted by Liberal on Jul. 21 2011,11:04 am

QUOTE

A man will serve 120 days in jail for his part in spending at least $900 in counterfeit cash at various stories in Minnesota, including Kmart and Target stores in Burnsville.

Dustin Dean Zamora, 32, of Albert Lea also will serve five years' probation and pay restitution, according to court records from last month's sentencing. Dakota County District Judge Thomas Bibus ordered Zamora to undergo a gambling assessment.

Zamora received credit for 82 days served. He pleaded guilty to felonies for counterfeiting currency and third-degree drug possession. Meranda Lynn O'Connor, 29, and Eric Michael Dorman, 34, of Fairmont also face criminal charges.

Police began investigating after workers at Walmart in West St. Paul noticed bills used by three individuals had Benjamin Franklin on the front with a $5 metallic strip and an Abraham Lincoln watermark, a criminal complaint said.

< http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_18518676 >

I always thought that counterfeiting was a serious crime.

Posted by bianca on Jul. 21 2011,12:04 pm

Maybe he was on medication for "restless leg syndrome" and it MADE him do it.....hey, it works for Tuttle. :oops:

Posted by Wolfie on Jul. 21 2011,12:39 pm

Want to make up the budget shortfall, start imposing the max fine on all crimes, and the make sentence. Remove the minimum guidelines, dont even allow a minimum. Max fines, and max sentence, put some teeth back in the laws that are currently gumming criminals, thats why no one cares if they break the law. Slight risk for bad behavior.

Posted by Stone-Magnon on Jul. 21 2011,12:48 pm

Ya that will make up the budget shortfall. Very smart, good call! What you're talking about doesn't cost any money at tall...that's the ticket! You're a genius. It's simple, people are breaking laws because the punishment isn't severe enough.

Of course this assumes we charge them to begin with. How about cases where criminals admit stealing under oath and they are not even charged? Kind of hard to throw a person in prison for theft when they aren't even charged in the first place. How about throwing the prosecutor in jail for ignoring the crime?

Want to fill up the jails there big fella? Start jailing police officers and government officials who lie.

Posted by sumpdump on Jul. 21 2011,3:06 pm

but then we would have to build a BIGGER rec center... :rofl:

Posted by grassman on Jul. 21 2011,8:13 pm

Counterfeiting is not that serious anymore. The Fed has been doing it for years.

Posted by hairhertz on Jul. 21 2011,8:18 pm

You see these statements that such & such charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. What I think I'm reading from the wolf is that the courts should levee the maximum fine each time to increase revenue.

Posted by irisheyes on Jul. 22 2011,5:52 am

(Wolfie @ Jul. 21 2011,12:39 pm)

QUOTE

Want to make up the budget shortfall, start imposing the max fine on all crimes, and the make sentence. Remove the minimum guidelines, dont even allow a minimum. Max fines, and max sentence

You got any facts to back up this idea? How is the local, state, and federal government going to greatly expand their prison system and somehow make money? Law enforcement and the prison industrial complex we have in America costs far more money than it ever makes. But more important than that is justice isn't supposed to be a money making venture, when it is you get crooked cops in the metro and in Texas robbing people to put it in their own pockets or to expand their agency budget.

A guy robbing a gas station doesn't have the $35k for the max, so the high dollar fine is moot. Same goes for the $100k or one million dollar fines for someone on Hennepin Ave selling a bag of cocaine or crack. They'll go to prison and make license plates or something for a few cents an hour. Sounds like a great moneymaker for the state, doesn't it?

QUOTE

put some teeth back in the laws that are currently gumming criminals, thats why no one cares if they break the law. Slight risk for bad behavior.

If harsher sentences are the key to fixing things, why not use the example of the nation with the highest per capita prison population? That nation is the United States, and so far our criminal justice system hasn't been very effective in curtailing the so-called drug war, drunk driving, or the budget.

Posted by hymiebravo on Jul. 22 2011,6:20 am

Crime and law breaking is something that gets charged to the poor. I think that is true around the world isn't it?

Look at every episode of that show COPS. Who are they targeting every episode? Are they in some so called "affluent" suburb? Certainly there must be somebody doing drugs or breaking the laws there.

That catch-line they have should be changed to something like: "On patrol in trailer parks and ghettos across America".

It's very predatory behavior. They, the cops, go after the easiest targets.

And of course everything is edited for maximum TV drama and also to make sure that the "bad guys" look bad and the "good guys" look good.

I say somebody type something here about how "white" collar crime is harder to prosecute.

That is probably partly due to societies being brainwashed about who is a criminal. IMO

Posted by hymiebravo on Jul. 22 2011,6:44 am

In regard to the counterfeiters:

First of all.

Taking your counterfeit money to someplace like Target or Walmart doesn't seem like the brightest idea to me. I can't believe they could even get one bill through.

When it is decided what the punishment for a crime should be. The likelihood of how often the so called crime will occur is part of what is used to determine the fine or punishment.

The more likely that lots of people will do something that goes against whatever law it is the less stiff the penalty.

Perhaps now that counterfeiting has become so easy. It will start to fall into the category of jaywalking or something. lol

As far as what is a serious crime:

I thought felonies where supposed to be considered "serious".

Look at the Norman case. How many so called "felonies" was he charged with? Half a dozen or so?

What did he get for that? 30 days house arrest was it?

At least the prosecutor got to pad her resume and get her ego stroked.

That's all that really matters I guess. lol

Posted by Wolfie on Jul. 22 2011,4:43 pm

HairHertz is the only one that picked up what I was throwing down. Doesn't surprise me in the least.

Posted by Stone-Magnon on Jul. 22 2011,5:25 pm

Are you kidding, just be glad I even glanced at your drivel. Don't expect me to read your whole posts! Your track record speaks for itself.
Ya, you mean a debtors prison...you're a freakin' genius. We're supposed to take that retarded crap seriously in your mind? :laugh:

Posted by Wolfie on Jul. 22 2011,7:52 pm

And yet you commented TWICE and neither time did you add anything intelligent to the discussion.

Posted by AL LAW on Jul. 23 2011,12:02 pm

(Liberal @ Jul. 21 2011,11:04 am)

QUOTE

I always thought that counterfeiting was a serious crime.

If this person would of got busted in Albert Lea the punishment would only be 120 days in jail. 30 days in and 30 days out. Then the judge will ask the guy if he learned his lesson and if he answers correctly he will be a free man!!! :rofl: