Here we go again.
On his way out the door, President Joe Biden thought it was somehow a good idea to grant clemency to Sioux Falls Fish Farm salesman Toby Ritesman who deceived investors and robbed them of more than a million dollars:
Tobias Ritesman, who called himself “The Tiger,” will get a reprieve on his nine-year prison sentence starting Dec. 22 — in time for Christmas. Ritesman was among 1,500 people whom the Biden administration granted clemency to as the one-term president prepares to depart office. It was the largest number of pardons and clemency granted in one day by a president.
and..
The mass clemency only applied to prison sentences and left in place the other sentencing conditions. For Ritesman, 48, that includes three years of parole and restitution of $680,000.
It could have been worse, as at least restitution was left in place. Unlike the pardon granted to Paul Erickson in 2021 by President Trump during his last term, who also bilked investors out of millions.
Experts say a South Dakota criminal no longer has to pay his victims nearly $3 million in restitution after President Trump pardoned him and labeled his crimes “minor.”
and..
Erickson was not prosecuted for the assistance he allegedly provided to Butina. Instead, in a separate case, authorities accused him of defrauding dozens of people in numerous business schemes. His pattern – which he repeated multiple times over many years – was to pitch an investment opportunity to friends and acquaintances, convince them to invest, and then pocket the money rather than putting it into the investment.
To resolve those allegations, Erickson pleaded guilty in 2019 to wire fraud and money laundering. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay more than 50 victims a total of about $3 million in restitution.
The Erickson pardon was far more egregious, but both come off as examples of unequal justice and turn a cold eye towards victims of their swindling and schemes receiving the renumeration in terms of money and time for the perpetrator’s reflection on their crimes they were supposed to be provided by the court.
It’s almost as though neither Trump nor Biden care about the working class.
ritesman is obliged to cover his debts. he will probably make more money faster outside of a prison. we live in a high tech surveillance world today, only truly violent offenders need the separation from society a prison provides.
it’s a high number of clemency cases, but each had to make the case for clemency and be vetted. it’s not a problem.
thanks for the look back at erickson. the whole russian-spy thing probably worked in his favor.
The pardons were all related to prison sentences of individuals who were moved to house arrest during the pandemic. Not a fan of this, but it is added clarity. Trump and Biden continue the pardon abuse. Dems have tried in the past to remove pardon abilities with no help or luck.
couldn’t agree with you more…