Woman Wants Her Bribe Money Back
DiscoZombie
Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
<div class="IPBDescription">should she get it?</div> <a href='http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=817&ncid=757&e=10&u=/ap/20040326/ap_on_fe_st/bribe_money' target='_blank'>Woman Asks State to Return Bribe Money</a>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->HARTFORD, Conn. - When Rebecca Messier asked for her money back, she drew snickers from the courtroom crowd. The cash she requested was $8,500 from a failed bribe to a prosecutor that got her and her husband arrested.
Messier appeared in Hartford Superior Court on Thursday to argue that she is entitled to the money she gave a bagman for a crooked prosecutor six years ago.
The bagman was to give the money to the prosecutor, who was to argue for the early release from prison of Messier's husband, convicted child molester Joseph Messier.
The Messiers got in trouble because the prosecutor wasn't on the take, and the bagman was an undercover investigator with the chief state's attorney's office.
Joseph Messier, 64, pleaded guilty to bribery in December 1998 and was sentenced to four years in prison, concurrent with his sex assault sentence. He was released after serving less than six years behind bars for molesting two children.
Rebecca Messier was also charged with bribery, but she was granted a special form of probation that resulted in the charges being erased from her record.
Rebecca Messier now wants the state to return her money, which was found in a safe at the chief state's attorney's office in Rocky Hill in December. Her lawyer, James Armentano, filed a motion that was heard in court Wednesday.
"You want the money back?" a disbelieving Judge Elliot N. Solomon said.
Armentano said there is "a real basis" for the return of the money, because there was a renunciation of the bribery act by Rebecca Messier. In criminal law, renunciation occurs when a person voluntarily and completely abandons his intent to commit a crime, before the crime occurs.
Solomon agreed to hear arguments on the motion next month.
Still, he cautioned Messier and Armentano: "I wouldn't bring a bankbook with you. I don't think you're going to be bringing it back." <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't get why it's so funny -- she committed a crime, she was caught, she should be punished, but that's her money... she expected a service, albeit an illegal service, for the money; she was set up by an allegedly fair and just judicial system, and yet someone in that supposed clean system gets to keep her dirty money? if they want to include a monetary fine with her punishment, they should return her money and then make her give it back again as a fine... but as it stands, it seems like the law basically stole her money... discuss.
I think Cpl. Davis is gonna have to step in and tell me about the legality on this one... it probably has to do with confiscation, I have no clue =p
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->HARTFORD, Conn. - When Rebecca Messier asked for her money back, she drew snickers from the courtroom crowd. The cash she requested was $8,500 from a failed bribe to a prosecutor that got her and her husband arrested.
Messier appeared in Hartford Superior Court on Thursday to argue that she is entitled to the money she gave a bagman for a crooked prosecutor six years ago.
The bagman was to give the money to the prosecutor, who was to argue for the early release from prison of Messier's husband, convicted child molester Joseph Messier.
The Messiers got in trouble because the prosecutor wasn't on the take, and the bagman was an undercover investigator with the chief state's attorney's office.
Joseph Messier, 64, pleaded guilty to bribery in December 1998 and was sentenced to four years in prison, concurrent with his sex assault sentence. He was released after serving less than six years behind bars for molesting two children.
Rebecca Messier was also charged with bribery, but she was granted a special form of probation that resulted in the charges being erased from her record.
Rebecca Messier now wants the state to return her money, which was found in a safe at the chief state's attorney's office in Rocky Hill in December. Her lawyer, James Armentano, filed a motion that was heard in court Wednesday.
"You want the money back?" a disbelieving Judge Elliot N. Solomon said.
Armentano said there is "a real basis" for the return of the money, because there was a renunciation of the bribery act by Rebecca Messier. In criminal law, renunciation occurs when a person voluntarily and completely abandons his intent to commit a crime, before the crime occurs.
Solomon agreed to hear arguments on the motion next month.
Still, he cautioned Messier and Armentano: "I wouldn't bring a bankbook with you. I don't think you're going to be bringing it back." <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't get why it's so funny -- she committed a crime, she was caught, she should be punished, but that's her money... she expected a service, albeit an illegal service, for the money; she was set up by an allegedly fair and just judicial system, and yet someone in that supposed clean system gets to keep her dirty money? if they want to include a monetary fine with her punishment, they should return her money and then make her give it back again as a fine... but as it stands, it seems like the law basically stole her money... discuss.
I think Cpl. Davis is gonna have to step in and tell me about the legality on this one... it probably has to do with confiscation, I have no clue =p