Burglar of Jobs Family's Home Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

[shaunymac]

Maybe I have a criminal mindset but why would he keep these items around? What an idiot! I mean, I can't get over the fact of actually committing the crime in the first place but keeping breadcrumbs like that around???

As far as the punishment goes, I kind of like the old laws. Cut of his finger and let him return to society. When he is around someone, everyone will know to keep an eye out when they see him because of the "missing finger."

As for me, I don't think I would steal anything with the above system in place. I value my fingers a little too much! This would keep us from paying for this fool's room and board for the next 7 years! Ridiculous.

Ok, fantasy over. haha The jails/prisons here in the states are truly out of control though. Huge money maker/taxpayer expense. Really screwed up.

 

[Azurael]

Once again, it wasn't minor, it was grand theft and as for what you say about the police in the UK not taking heed to a home invasion? I call BS on that. Am I correct that you are under age 20?

I'd really like to know what my age has to do with the contents of my post? You are totally wrong...

Perhaps (or definitely, going by your highly educated opinion and judgement of somebody you've never met) you're right and they would have caught up with him eventually but it seems a bit suspicious to me that he was only convicted/caught after stealing from Jobs' property - maybe American police are just as incompetent as ours because I would have thought there would be something to link his previous 4 robberies or some evidence left somewhere... Or perhaps they just weren't trying too hard?

 

[trunten]

I dont think your iphone was worth 60,000 and the guy prob wasnt a big time crook.

Sorry I forgot crime only counts if it's theft of more than some arbitrary value.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[AppleDude]

Let's say you steal a car. You might steal the car of someone who needs it to get to work to feed his family, has no money to replace it, and gets into huge trouble. Or you might steal the car of someone who has three more cars in his garage, tons of money, and is not even inconvenienced. Same crime but one had much more impact on the victim. I'd think the one that had more impact on the victim would deserve a harsher punishment.

Any idea of the subjectivity, fraud, and inconsistency that would result from our assessing the victim's ability to bear a theft in order to determine the sentence? Let's just say too much for any just society to bear.

All of a sudden, you'd have less civil rights simply because one man thinks you could afford to be burglarized. Yikes

Thief: "But, your Honor, the man was wearing a Rolex so naturally I assumed he could afford to lose his car. How was I to know he lost his job and was supporting his two destitute parents?"

Judge: "In consideration of the the Defendant's thoughtful selection process, I'll provide a minimum sentence. The fact that it caused harm is unfortunate, but not the thief's fault. I commend your discernment in victim selection."

It gets better. "Mr. Victim, please prove to the court that you couldn't afford to donate your radio to the thief. His sentence will depend on whether you could afford to let him steal it."

 

[nick_elt]

Sorry I forgot crime only counts if it's theft of more than some arbitrary value.

Thanks for the reminder.

Come on get real. Ive lost phones before. Do you really want all of your police force looking for such things.

 

[trunten]

Any idea of the subjectivity, fraud, and inconsistency that would result from our assessing the victim's ability to bear a theft in order to determine the sentence? Let's just say too much for any just society to bear.

All of a sudden, you'd have less civil rights simply because one man thinks you could afford to be burglarized. Yikes

Thief: "But, your Honor, the man was wearing a Rolex so naturally I assumed he could afford to lose his car. How was I to know he lost his job and was supporting his two destitute parents?"

Judge: "In consideration of the the Defendant's thoughtful selection process, I'll provide a minimum sentence. The fact that it caused harm is unfortunate, but not the thief's fault. I commend your discernment in victim selection."

It gets better. "Mr. Victim, please prove to the court that you couldn't afford to donate your radio to the thief. His sentence will depend on whether you could afford to let him steal it."

Love satire! +1!

Also, convenient that in your scenario the victim's surname is actually Victim. He's basically asking for it.

 

[Consultant]

So does this mean Apple has the capability to track stolen Apple devices for customers, but just wont't?

1. It's called Find My iPhone. You have to sign up to use it.

2. Police cooperation depends on where the device is located. Some police district will use the data, some will not.

 

[trunten]

Come on get real. Ive lost phones before. Do you really want all of your police force looking for such things.

Not at all, now you are being absurd. As I said, the act of locating a stolen ipad seems trivial, and it seems to me that the process could quite easily be carried out for all stolen iPads/iphones. It would certainly make a thief think twice about stealing one.

Oh, and losing a phone is not quite the same as having one stolen.

 

[nick_elt]

Not at all, now you are being absurd. As I said, the act of locating a stolen ipad seems trivial, and it seems to me that the process could quite easily be carried out for all stolen iPads/iphones. It would certainly make a thief think twice about stealing one.

Oh, and losing a phone is not quite the same as having one stolen.

Lost phones to theft if you want more clarification. Yes it could quite easily be done, with alot of police time used. Unfortunately its not a perfect world and I dont know one police force that could deal with every lost iphones.

 

[hubba hubba]

Really?

Bernie Madoff got 150 years. Do the math.

$60,000 theft / 7 years = $8,571.42

$18,000,000,000 ponzi scheme / 150 years = $120,000,000

Madoff stole much more per year received in his sentencing.

Apply the same sentencing per dollar stolen to the other guy, and his sentence would be 0.0005 years, which is about 263 minutes.

 

[nick_elt]

Sorry I forgot crime only counts if it's theft of more than some arbitrary value.

Thanks for the reminder.

Do you call the fbi if some steals your biro?

 

[trunten]

Lost phones to theft if you want more clarification. Yes it could quite easily be done, with alot of police time used. Unfortunately its not a perfect world and I dont know one police force that could deal with every lost iphones.

I actually agree, which is why I said I'm not surprised. It just irks me.

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Do you call the fbi if some steals your biro?

Ok, I was trying to bring the conversation back to being slightly more cordial, but you are just ridiculous. Yes, I phone the FBI because I have no sense of proportion and I value biros just as much as a £500 phone and often get people mugging me for pens. I do get agro off the FBI about being based in the US but they always sent me a free pen. Happy days.

 

[RolyPolyBird]

it wasn't minor, it was grand theft

"Grand Theft" in California is stolen property above $400. Hardly a major crime.

So many of the comments in this thread are nearly as disgusting as the crime itself, no wonder America is turning into such a toilet bowl.

 

[nick_elt]

I actually agree, which is why I said I'm not surprised. It just irks me.

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Ok, I was trying to bring the conversation back to being slightly more cordial, but you are just ridiculous. Yes, I phone the FBI because I have no sense of proportion and I value biros just as much as a £500 phone and often get people mugging me for pens. I do get agro off the FBI about being based in the US but they always sent me a free pen. Happy days.

But you were trying to tell me crime has no value before?

Btw I do find mugging a dif crime to just phone theft from a bag or so.

 

[trunten]

But you were trying to tell me crime has no value before?

Not quite the same as phoning the FBI for a stolen biro. I actually have a Mont Blanc fountain pen that my parents bought me a long time ago now, and yes, if that got stolen I would phone the police because it has value for me. A bic biro taken off my desk in work? worthless.

edit: And be honest, if your phone got stolen and the police told you they only investigate thefts of goods valuing $1000 or more what would your reaction be?

edit 2: I'm not actually sure I've ever made it through the day with the same biro. They seem to be extremely transient things....

 

[nick_elt]

And be honest, if your phone got stolen and the police told you they only investigate thefts of goods valuing $1000 or more what would your reaction be?

Id be fine with that(and have been in the past) because id rather the police be getting rapists or what have you. In an ideal world yes it would be great if every crime was solved but this world is deeply flawed. Sure id be pissed off, but not with the cops at all but to the little **** that stole my phone.

 

[HenryDJP]

"Grand Theft" in California is stolen property above $400. Hardly a major crime.

So many of the comments in this thread are nearly as disgusting as the crime itself, no wonder America is turning into such a toilet bowl.

It was $60,000 in stolen goods. Your point? The part that I highlighted, your comments aren't any better.

 

[trunten]

Id be fine with that(and have been in the past) because id rather the police be getting rapists or what have you. In an ideal world yes it would be great if every crime was solved but this world is deeply flawed. Sure id be pissed off, but not with the cops at all but to the little **** that stole my phone.

Then I guess you just have more money than me, which is fair enough, but I would be more than a little peeved at both the police and the little ***** that stole my phone. Thankfully I have never been in my hypothetical situation of being told to my face that my theft didn't reach the minimum required amount. That you have is quite worrying, how much is phone insurance where you live?

 

[nick_elt]

Then I guess you just have more money than me, which is fair enough, but I would be more than a little peeved at both the police and the little ***** that stole my phone. Thankfully I have never been in my hypothetical situation of being told to my face that my theft didn't reach the minimum required amount. That you have is quite worrying, how much is phone insurance where you live?

I dont have phone insurance at the moment. Its not common here in Poland, when i was living in NZ and London it was so yes ive had it in the past and claimed a few times for numorous reasons. But my reality of what the police can and cant achieve has nothing to do with my bank acc size.

 

[RolyPolyBird]

It was $60,000 in stolen goods. Your point? The part that I highlighted, your comments aren't any better.

The phrase Grand Theft is meaningless, its just a cheap linguistic gimmick used by prosecutors to place further prejudicial weight on accused persons. You did the same thing in using that phrase to further your argument, that is my point.

The guy pleaded guilty and volunteered information to investigators for other crimes they were unaware he had committed. There was no violence involved, the goods were recovered, and he showed remorse.

But hey its America in 2013 and he can go join the other two and half million people incarcerated in your country. You can't control what the criminals do, you can only work to shape a better society where there are less people who resort to crime.

 

[theBB]

If he had broken into a normal house and stolen some computers, phones and jewellery, I wonder if the sentence would still be a huge seven years inside?

He broke into numerous homes. If he got caught red handed with this many stolen goods, I am pretty sure he would get 7 years even if one of them was not SJ's. However, I am not sure if cops would be trying as hard to catch him.

 

[AidenShaw]

I actually have a Mont Blanc fountain pen that my parents bought me a long time ago now, and yes, if that got stolen I would phone the police because it has value for me.

I had a nice Mont Blanc gold-tipped fountain pen, but a monkey stole it from me.

(Seriously, while visiting a temple in the north of Thailand - a temple monkey grabbed it from my pocket and scurried up one of the towers...)

 

[digizure]

Sure, they'd track down the serial number but if someone steals my iPhone, it's pretty much gone.

 

[harlequinn]

I assume you've never been the victim of a home invasion. It changes your life. It can trigger Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a total violation of your liberty and security. It's not the loss of some consumer items. You'll give a rats ass about that when it happens to you.

A home invasion is when the premise is occupied and a person breaks in with violent intent.

A burglary is when an person break in when you're not home to steal items.

The reports say it was a burglary.

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If you bought a MacBook, you'd have a receipt, and the serial number would be linked to your receipt. Cell companies know which SIM card and SN is yours, too.

Unless it was a gift or second hand goods.

 

[wrz0170]

A home invasion is when the premise is occupied and a person breaks in with violent intent.

A burglary is when an person break in when you're not home to steal items.

The reports say it was a burglary.

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Unless it was a gift or second hand goods.

Does it matter? He's a vile, low life, POS thief. I am sure the thinking would be different if it was your house that you came home to and found it burglarized. It's not a nice feeling knowing that some stranger violated your personal sanctum and took something away from you.

7 years is lenient. Criminals have far too many rights to begin with.