jury duty: a tale of dumbing down

[strollingbones]

i was called for jury duty yesterday...i was willing to do my civic duty....i arrive and i know several people in the jury pool....one a bank controller...one a former banker etc and so forth....

the case: real estate broker has been accused by two of her clients of taking rental income and not reporting it or putting it in escrow.....bottom line..she rented their condos and took the money...that was the charge...

both sides kept taking about reviewing documents and how much math was involved..then i noticed this....if you had a background in any field related to real estate or property management they did not want you on the jury....so there i sit knowing that if i get up in the jury box they will let me go...immediately....i was a property manager for 10 years and dealt with the property this broker managed....i realized quickly they did not want people familiar with escrow accounts and such on the jury....

it was an interesting day.....my friend was with me..she was called....we have been friends for over a decade...i watched her boys grown up...her hubby is a jerk but i knew he was a co and didnt pay much attention to it.....and i know she is a wee bit crazy over the boys....tracking them but i figured that was just the helicopter mom in her...they are asking everyone..what does your spouse do....where do you live..when she gets on the hot seat....she announces....'i am happy to do jury duty, i will not reveal what my husband does nor where we live due to it endangering my family'
well fuck me running....she is not taking prisoners...the da states he knows her and her family and they dismiss her immediately.... she leaves.....later i am picking up a cheap fast dinner and she calls....she explains that her husband works with the most harden sex offenders and they have been threatened more than once....and her sons had been threatened.....10 years of thinking she was just fucked up about the boys.....explained .....she does not ask for an exemption ahead of time cause they will just keep calling her back this gets her out of it for 2 years.....

then the da turns his attention to a gentleman who had been in vietnam and stated he had ptsd.....and had anxiety attacks but was willing to serve....he would just need to be allowed to stay and go to the bathroom a bit more than normal.....by the time they finished with him....the man was crying.....i was shocked it was like they pushed him into an attack.....he was dismissed...

my point of this whole long ramble.....i realized this case was not complex....all you needed where 12 people who understood property management and escrow etc but i will admit...i had already made this statement to my friend....'if it got this far..she is guilty as sin' i am sorry but property management is a strict game..escrow accounts are serious business ....she is guilty as sin.....her stack of paperwork or not.....

 

[freedombecki]

Is she a flight risk, sb? If so, she could get off scott free, do an identity switch, and be off the hook for years to come.

A lady who stole $200,000 from a community fund was "forgiven" by the community leadership because she was so likable, so she received zero sentence and had to pay $60 a month for her crime. I was a little incensed because when someone stole from me a lot less, it took me 5 years to pay the bank back for money I had to borrow to pay her damn salary and keep the business afloat.

You never know who the largesse crowd is going to forgive or not.

The two criminals were working at the same time, neither did any time because the people in some communities do not think stealing from other people is very serious, including stealing from all the people a city fund that was not picked up in annual audits for several years.

 

[KissMy]

The two criminals were working at the same time, neither did any time because the people in some communities do not think stealing from other people is very serious, including stealing from all the people a city fund that was not picked up in annual audits for several years.

That sums up Wall-street & government.

 

[strollingbones]

i dont think she is a risk of leaving....but that is the thing...i have seen this a few times...a broker goes nuts and grabs the money and gets caught..they get a slap on the wrist and never pay the full amount back....when i did it...i was extremely honest....not due to the strict regulations but due to my responsibility to the people who trusted me with their rental units...plus you grab a small bit first then get greedy....the last one owed about 80k....and only goes to jail for a year after not paying anything back after 4 or 5 years...

 

[rightwinger]

i was called for jury duty yesterday...i was willing to do my civic duty....i arrive and i know several people in the jury pool....one a bank controller...one a former banker etc and so forth....

the case: real estate broker has been accused by two of her clients of taking rental income and not reporting it or putting it in escrow.....bottom line..she rented their condos and took the money...that was the charge...

both sides kept taking about reviewing documents and how much math was involved..then i noticed this....if you had a background in any field related to real estate or property management they did not want you on the jury....so there i sit knowing that if i get up in the jury box they will let me go...immediately....i was a property manager for 10 years and dealt with the property this broker managed....i realized quickly they did not want people familiar with escrow accounts and such on the jury....

it was an interesting day.....my friend was with me..she was called....we have been friends for over a decade...i watched her boys grown up...her hubby is a jerk but i knew he was a co and didnt pay much attention to it.....and i know she is a wee bit crazy over the boys....tracking them but i figured that was just the helicopter mom in her...they are asking everyone..what does your spouse do....where do you live..when she gets on the hot seat....she announces....'i am happy to do jury duty, i will not reveal what my husband does nor where we live due to it endangering my family'
well fuck me running....she is not taking prisoners...the da states he knows her and her family and they dismiss her immediately.... she leaves.....later i am picking up a cheap fast dinner and she calls....she explains that her husband works with the most harden sex offenders and they have been threatened more than once....and her sons had been threatened.....10 years of thinking she was just fucked up about the boys.....explained .....she does not ask for an exemption ahead of time cause they will just keep calling her back this gets her out of it for 2 years.....

then the da turns his attention to a gentleman who had been in vietnam and stated he had ptsd.....and had anxiety attacks but was willing to serve....he would just need to be allowed to stay and go to the bathroom a bit more than normal.....by the time they finished with him....the man was crying.....i was shocked it was like they pushed him into an attack.....he was dismissed...

my point of this whole long ramble.....i realized this case was not complex....all you needed where 12 people who understood property management and escrow etc but i will admit...i had already made this statement to my friend....'if it got this far..she is guilty as sin' i am sorry but property management is a strict game..escrow accounts are serious business ....she is guilty as sin.....her stack of paperwork or not.....

That is one of the best ways to get out of jury duty. Just make a statement saying......I don't think she would be here if she weren't guilty

or else....Cops are always making stuff up

 

[Pennywise]

Jury duty aside, we need to start imprisoning white collar criminals and give them hard time, heavy labor eight hours per day.

 

[strollingbones]

i agree penny wise......why is stealing with a pen less than stealing with a gun?

 

[SteadyMercury]

i realized this case was not complex....all you needed where 12 people who understood property management and escrow etc

Isn't the goal of a criminal trial to be able to make their cases without needing jury members with previous expertise in the field?

 

[rightwinger]

The reason they do not want someone with real estate experience is that they want you to make decisions based on what the prosecutor presents not based on your professional insight. You may also have some biases against those in your field lacking professional standards

 

[strollingbones]

a jury of your peers....hello.....and realize this.....you didnt need 12 people and 2 alternatives....a total of 14 jurors for this case...to me...it would be rather cut and dry.....take 6 people with a background in this and sit down with all involved for about 10 minutes each....look at the records...something tipped the owners off....that the unit was rented when reported empty...all you have to do is look at that....what happened to cause two owners to accuse her of the same thing....so why not use people who would understand the issue?

if i were the defense i would want that unless i was guilty

 

[strollingbones]

The reason they do not want someone with real estate experience is that they want you to make decisions based on what the prosecutor presents not based on your professional insight. You may also have some biases against those in your field lacking professional standards

o you mean thinking

a. she is stupid to do this....

b. more stupid to get caught

c. if it has gotten this far she is guilty...

i see your point

 

[strollingbones]

o i didnt even mention the poor thing that had to admit she could not read nor understand complex words or concepts...she had been in an accident and suffered brain damage....she was a beautiul young lady...her memory was impaired...

 

[rightwinger]

a jury of your peers....hello.....and realize this.....you didnt need 12 people and 2 alternatives....a total of 14 jurors for this case...to me...it would be rather cut and dry.....take 6 people with a background in this and sit down with all involved for about 10 minutes each....look at the records...something tipped the owners off....that the unit was rented when reported empty...all you have to do is look at that....what happened to cause two owners to accuse her of the same thing....so why not use people who would understand the issue?

if i were the defense i would want that unless i was guilty

We decided a long time ago that we did not want professional juries. Jury of your peers means average joes

 

[KissMy]

Jury duty aside, we need to start imprisoning white collar criminals and give them hard time, heavy labor eight hours per day.

White collar crime is worshiped here. They no longer go to jail. The system is designed to let thugs incorporate, take all the profits & bankrupt on losses. How do you think Donald Trump went bankrupt 4 times as he get richer every time. To big to fail banks are allowed to launder money & evade taxes. Jail & taxes are for little people.

 

[strollingbones]

they expect this to be over around thursday.....i will try to find out what they decided....and as a friend of mine says....do you really want 12 people too stupid to get out of jury duty?

 

[SteadyMercury]

do you really want 12 people too stupid to get out of jury duty?

There are plenty of people who are quite intelligent that don't mind sitting on a jury.

 

[strollingbones]

update: ran into some friends last night..he is a lawyer....his wife is an old friend...i use to work for her doing property management....seems it is a good thing i did not make the jury box...my friend may have to be a witness today....she was not on the witness list monday....she was added...her husband told me they would never allow someone with my experience to sit on jury....he also noted that he bet i had a view on guilt or not....i told him i did....he laughed and said...she is guilty

seems there are 3 more charges to be laid....and that she reportedly got her partner for over 20 k

they are thinking this may add up to a bit of money

 

[DGS49]

The American jury system is the stinking underbelly of the whole court system. Think, O J Simpson.

I have been a registered voter, licensed driver, and property owner in this county since 1975 (and I'm a member of the Pennsylvania Bar), but I have never even received a post card inquiring about jury duty. It strikes me as rather odd.

 

[strollingbones]

i dont think they let lawyers on the jury either...seems you dont have to be all that smart....

o the oj thing....yea worst for cop to use the word ****** than to kill two people...

 

[syrenn]

i was called for jury duty yesterday...i was willing to do my civic duty....i arrive and i know several people in the jury pool....one a bank controller...one a former banker etc and so forth....

the case: real estate broker has been accused by two of her clients of taking rental income and not reporting it or putting it in escrow.....bottom line..she rented their condos and took the money...that was the charge...

both sides kept taking about reviewing documents and how much math was involved..then i noticed this....if you had a background in any field related to real estate or property management they did not want you on the jury....so there i sit knowing that if i get up in the jury box they will let me go...immediately....i was a property manager for 10 years and dealt with the property this broker managed....i realized quickly they did not want people familiar with escrow accounts and such on the jury....

it was an interesting day.....my friend was with me..she was called....we have been friends for over a decade...i watched her boys grown up...her hubby is a jerk but i knew he was a co and didnt pay much attention to it.....and i know she is a wee bit crazy over the boys....tracking them but i figured that was just the helicopter mom in her...they are asking everyone..what does your spouse do....where do you live..when she gets on the hot seat....she announces....'i am happy to do jury duty, i will not reveal what my husband does nor where we live due to it endangering my family'
well fuck me running....she is not taking prisoners...the da states he knows her and her family and they dismiss her immediately.... she leaves.....later i am picking up a cheap fast dinner and she calls....she explains that her husband works with the most harden sex offenders and they have been threatened more than once....and her sons had been threatened.....10 years of thinking she was just fucked up about the boys.....explained .....she does not ask for an exemption ahead of time cause they will just keep calling her back this gets her out of it for 2 years.....

then the da turns his attention to a gentleman who had been in vietnam and stated he had ptsd.....and had anxiety attacks but was willing to serve....he would just need to be allowed to stay and go to the bathroom a bit more than normal.....by the time they finished with him....the man was crying.....i was shocked it was like they pushed him into an attack.....he was dismissed...

my point of this whole long ramble.....i realized this case was not complex....all you needed where 12 people who understood property management and escrow etc but i will admit...i had already made this statement to my friend....'if it got this far..she is guilty as sin' i am sorry but property management is a strict game..escrow accounts are serious business ....she is guilty as sin.....her stack of paperwork or not.....

That is one of the best ways to get out of jury duty. Just make a statement saying......I don't think she would be here if she weren't guilty

or else....Cops are always making stuff up

A firm statement either way will more then likely get you bounced.

They are guilty!!
They are innocent!!
Ive made up my mind already!!

I hate jury duty.