Friday, November 05, 2010
Why?
Why aren't these people being charged with crimes?
Unicredit America Inc. agreed Tuesday to stop sending letters to consumers threatening them with arrest if they failed to respond. Erie County Judge Michael Dunlavey also ordered the mock courtroom torn down within 30 days.The state attorney general's office says Unicredit used people appearing to be sheriff's deputies to deliver hearing notices to consumers and used fake court proceedings to get money from them. Authorities say a person dressed in black would preside from behind a raised bench at the front of the room.
From my handy-dandy Pennsylvania Crimes Code:
PACC 18 sec 4912: Impersonating a public servant.
A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he falsely pretends to hold a position in the public service with intent to induce another to submit to such pretended official authority or otherwise to act in reliance upon that pretense to his prejudice.
M2's are punishable by up to two years in prison. Seems to me that impersonating deputies and judges would fall under the statute.
As an aside, impersonating a notary public is an M1, so you can get into deeper trouble in Pennsylvania for being a fake notary than being a fake judge.
Unicredit America Inc. agreed Tuesday to stop sending letters to consumers threatening them with arrest if they failed to respond. Erie County Judge Michael Dunlavey also ordered the mock courtroom torn down within 30 days.The state attorney general's office says Unicredit used people appearing to be sheriff's deputies to deliver hearing notices to consumers and used fake court proceedings to get money from them. Authorities say a person dressed in black would preside from behind a raised bench at the front of the room.
From my handy-dandy Pennsylvania Crimes Code:
PACC 18 sec 4912: Impersonating a public servant.
A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he falsely pretends to hold a position in the public service with intent to induce another to submit to such pretended official authority or otherwise to act in reliance upon that pretense to his prejudice.
M2's are punishable by up to two years in prison. Seems to me that impersonating deputies and judges would fall under the statute.
As an aside, impersonating a notary public is an M1, so you can get into deeper trouble in Pennsylvania for being a fake notary than being a fake judge.
