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Broker's Life Ruined by One Oxycontin Pill
 

Edmundo Braverman's picture
ST
(Human, 14,705
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 7:30am
jail.jpg

This has me so mad I can't see straight. I'm going to do my dead-level best to ensure this post doesn't turn into a rant. For the most part, I've accepted how ridiculous, arbitrary, corrupt, and often evil the American justice system is. Still, I think it's one of the best in the world. But when it fails, holy shit does it fail.

Take the sad case of this Merrill Lynch broker who had a single Oxycontin pill in his pocket - a buddy had given it to him at a concert and he didn't even take it - and the mess that his life became when he was pulled over hours later. He'd never taken Oxy before, and hadn't planned to take it now. He said he was going to give the pill away. After being assured of a lenient sentence, he was induced to plead No Contest to possession. Then the judge lowered the boom:

Despite having no criminal record and never having taken Oxycontin, James was required to attend two Narcotics Anonymous meetings a week for an entire year, and 15 weekend-long state-run drug classes (the latter he was required to pay for). Despite the fact that he was going to school at night for his MBA, James was given a curfew, and had to be inside his own home between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. every day of the week, for the entire year. As a final punishment, the judge instructed James to immediately report his arrest to his employer, and to let his probation officer know when he had done so.

You can guess what comes next. Telling his boss meant an addendum to his U-4 which set off alarm bells at Merrill headquarters, and he was fired two weeks later. Then he discovered just how difficult it is to get hired with his background. Not only because of the No Contest plea, but because his probation officer insisted on calling each company he interviewed with to verify that he'd been there. Now I ask you, how is he going to get hired when HR gets a call from a probation officer?

He ended up working as a fry cook. And his PO screwed him again. She told him that he could be out past curfew as long as he was at work, but didn't tell him he needed the judge's permission. That oversight bought him another two years of probation. He looked for finance work the whole time, but all that accomplished was every private background check company the banks used had a record of his conviction. So even when the record was expunged and technically no longer existed, he still couldn't get a job because now all these private investigators knew about it.

Six years of this guy's life went into the toilet over one pill he didn't even take.

How much longer are we as a country going to allow these sorts of miscarriages of justice? How many more lives have to be ruined for victimless crimes?

There is so much money in Prohibition for everyone involved (cops, judges, lawyers, prison guards, probation officers, drug cartels - don't think for a minute they want drugs legalized) that there is no way the laws are ever going to be overturned unless the people force them to do it. And if the Prohibition against alcohol in the '30s is any indication, this is how we can do it:

A lot of people think alcohol prohibition got repealed just because one day everyone woke up and said, "Hey, that was a really bad idea. Let's get rid of Prohibition." That's not what happened at all. The same rogues gallery of misery profiteers were making money hand over fist and didn't want Prohibition repealed. The people finally had to take charge, and they did it not in the ballot box but in the jury box.

Juries eventually refused to convict anyone of alcohol-related offenses, even if they were caught red-handed and were guilty as sin. This cost judges and prosecutors a ton of money, and their conviction rates went into the toilet. Eventually they did the math and decided that if they weren't going to get convictions anymore, they should just change the law so they could quit looking stupid.

And that, dear friends, is the beauty of jury nullification.

I honestly believe the only way we're going to change drug laws in America is through jury nullification. However, the judges and prosecutors have wised up, and if they even suspect that you're a fully informed juror you'll be thrown out of jury duty so fast it'll make your head spin. What's a fully informed juror? Glad you asked:

The primary function of an independent juror is not, as many people think, to dispense punishment to fellow citizens accused of breaking various laws, but rather to protect fellow citizens from tyrannical abuses of power by the government. The Constitution guarantees you the right to trial by jury. This means that government must bring its case before a jury of The People if government wants to deprive any person of life, liberty, or property. Jurors can say no to government tyranny by refusing to convict.

I realize I'm getting dangerously close to a rant here, and that's not where I want to go. I urge you to look into the Fully Informed Jury Association and download their free handbook on nullification. And as tempting as it is to get out of jury duty, if you're called do your utmost to get seated. If they're trying to convict someone of something ridiculous, regardless of their guilt, vote to acquit. It's the only way we'll get these ridiculous laws overturned.

Because you never know when you might be the guy getting pulled over and losing everything you've worked your whole life for over a pill your buddy gave you. Think about it.

Comments

anamerican's picture

Extremely terse.

(Monkey, 38
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 7:49am

Extremely terse.

anamerican

roymondito's picture

Agreed. It's absurd the way

IB
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:00am

Agreed. It's absurd the way we prosecute so many victim-less crimes in this country.

SirTradesaLot's picture

Sucks for that guy. This is

 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:12am

Sucks for that guy. This is the problem with the jury system: only those are too dumb to get out of jury duty actually sit on juries. Lawyers don't like jurists who can reason.

I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I'm also a fighter, so don't get any ideas.

My WSO Blog

AQM's picture

Sacco and Vanzetti classic

IB
(Orangutan, 336
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:27am

Sacco and Vanzetti classic right here. "Guilty by association." It's as true now as it was back in the day.

newfirstyear's picture

Judges in the US are just as

ER
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:31am

Judges in the US are just as corrupt as politicians. Disgraceful human beings.

Scott Irish's picture

Disgraceful. I had to stop

O
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:43am

Disgraceful. I had to stop reading about two-thirds of the way

Unforseen's picture

One of the best solutions

(King Kong, 1,129
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:45am

One of the best solutions I've heard to act on this stupid drug prohibition issue

Check out my Blog

Marzapan's picture

Something doesn't add up. He

CF
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:47am

Something doesn't add up. He was pulled over, and the contents of his pockets came to the officer's attention how? He must have done or said something to give the officer pause (and probable cause) to pull him out of the vehicile and search him.

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest" --Ben Franklin

In reply to Marzapan
mehp's picture

Marzapan: Something doesn't

 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:01am
Marzapan:

Something doesn't add up. He was pulled over, and the contents of his pockets came to the officer's attention how? He must have done or said something to give the officer pause (and probable cause) to pull him out of the vehicile and search him.

"The officer who pulled him over said the car smelled like marijuana, and asked to conduct a search. James agreed, because neither he nor his passenger had been using drugs. When his passenger was found to be in possession of a pipe and several screens (but no marijuana), the officer searched James."

In reply to Marzapan
Addinator's picture

Marzapan: Something doesn't

AM
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:02am
Marzapan:

Something doesn't add up. He was pulled over, and the contents of his pockets came to the officer's attention how? He must have done or said something to give the officer pause (and probable cause) to pull him out of the vehicile and search him.

If you read through the article, apparently the officer claimed to "smell marijuiana" and then proceeded to search the car and found a pipe and screens that belonged to the passenger and thus searched both of them because of it. Regardless, this teaches you to put your career before anything especially any narcotics that you don't have a prescription for. Just don't do it. I'm all for changing the laws regarding narcotics because they are beyond stupid, but you need to steer clear of them until something changes. It simply isn't worth the risk. Period. If people don't realize that by now I can't help them. Lobby for changing, fight for changing it etc but sure as hell take caution or hire a damn good lawyer to bail you out.

Contact: [email protected]
See my other blog posts

In reply to Marzapan
Proposition Joe's picture

Marzapan: Something doesn't

ST
(Baboon, 111
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:03am
Marzapan:

Something doesn't add up. He was pulled over, and the contents of his pockets came to the officer's attention how? He must have done or said something to give the officer pause (and probable cause) to pull him out of the vehicile and search him.

That's what I was thinking. Not to diminish from your point Eddie, but another good rule is don't piss off the cops. They will fuck you over

I'm like one of them marriage counselors. Charge by the hour to tell some fool he needa bring some flowers home. Then charge another hour telling the bitch she oughta suck some cock every little once in a while. Keep a marriage strong like that. -Prop Joe

adapt or die's picture

I'm glad you posted this. It

(King Kong, 1,266
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:04am

I'm glad you posted this. It helps me remember to stick to the booze when I'm out there raging.

In reply to Marzapan
awqtfq's picture

.

(Orangutan, 250
 
Points)
 on 10/15/12 at 8:17pm

.

In reply to mehp
awqtfq's picture

mehp: Marzapan: Something

(Orangutan, 250
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:12am
mehp:
Marzapan:

Something doesn't add up. He was pulled over, and the contents of his pockets came to the officer's attention how? He must have done or said something to give the officer pause (and probable cause) to pull him out of the vehicile and search him.

"The officer who pulled him over said the car smelled like marijuana, and asked to conduct a search. James agreed, because neither he nor his passenger had been using drugs. When his passenger was found to be in possession of a pipe and several screens (but no marijuana), the officer searched James."

What the hell kind of banker smokes pot? Anyway, this makes more sense. This story is depressing. I hate how easy it is for ridiculous convictions to be made. Something along the lines of this story, or when a girl calls rape when she clearly wasn't. These things scare the hell out of me.

Abdel's picture

Since Eddie mentioned

O
(Neanderthal, 2,064
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:18am

Since Eddie mentioned nullification, I'll sneak this in:

In reply to mehp
BlackHat's picture

mehp: Marzapan: Something

HF
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:19am

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

D M's picture

I'd like to point out that I

O
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:23am

"WSO is like the 300 for anti spamage. None shall pass." -happypantsmcgee
"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer

In reply to BlackHat
awqtfq's picture

.

(Orangutan, 250
 
Points)
 on 10/15/12 at 8:20pm
In reply to BVMadden
bfin's picture

BVMadden: when a girl calls

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,795
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:27am

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

Going Concern's picture

One pill makes you larger And

(King Kong, 1,878
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:29am

You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game.

In reply to Going Concern
BlackHat's picture

Going Concern: One pill makes

HF
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:32am

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

In reply to D M
808's picture

D M: I'd like to point out

CF
(Gorilla, 715
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:43am

http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/group/big-4-accounting
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/group/entrepreneur
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/group/wso-pittsburgh

In reply to 808
D M's picture

808: I know, I agree, just

O
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:49am

"WSO is like the 300 for anti spamage. None shall pass." -happypantsmcgee
"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer

geofinance's picture

Edmundo Braverman: if they

HF
(Monkey, 54
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:50am
In reply to geofinance
UFOinsider's picture

If you're going to break the

O
(Human, 10,475
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 10:49am

I notice that the older I am the more I sound like Illini Programer

- accountingbyday

Tolland15's picture

My first year of college I

O
(Baboon, 150
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 10:48am

I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it's a very poor scheme for survival.

In reply to D M
West Coast rainmaker's picture

Agree with all of the above.

ER
(Neanderthal, 2,128
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 10:50am
In reply to Tolland15
geofinance's picture

Tolland15: My first year of

HF
(Monkey, 54
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 10:55am
In reply to geofinance
Tolland15's picture

geofinance: Tolland15: My

O
(Baboon, 150
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 11:06am

I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it's a very poor scheme for survival.

In reply to Tolland15
D M's picture

Tolland15: It was in

O
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 11:13am

"WSO is like the 300 for anti spamage. None shall pass." -happypantsmcgee
"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer

melvvvar's picture

we well can't have the bit

(King Kong, 1,693
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 11:13am
In reply to BlackHat
peterg's picture

BlackHat: what kind of

IB
(Baboon, 140
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 11:16am
GoodBread's picture

Edmundo Braverman: He ended

AM
(Neanderthal, 3,639
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 11:20am

Financial Modeling Training
Guide to Finance Interviews

Cookies With Milken's picture

Better call Saul!

O
(Gorilla, 568
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 11:33am
In reply to Cookies With Milken
BlackHat's picture

Cookies With Milken: Better

HF
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 11:48am

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

In reply to Tolland15
txjustin's picture

Tolland15: geofinance: To

O
(Neanderthal, 2,475
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 12:24pm
txjustin's picture

Eddie, I gave you a +1

O
(Neanderthal, 2,475
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 12:24pm
TheKing's picture

"What bankers smoke pot?" A

O
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 1:07pm

Check out my WSO Blog

melvvvar's picture

there was some kid who got 7

(King Kong, 1,693
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 1:18pm
BlackHat's picture

(No subject)

HF
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 1:24pm

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

In reply to melvvvar
UFOinsider's picture

melvvvar: blowback from the

O
(Human, 10,475
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 2:30pm

I notice that the older I am the more I sound like Illini Programer

- accountingbyday

Febreeze's picture

This sounds awfully

(King Kong, 1,158
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 2:52pm
In reply to geofinance
ScoobyDoobie's picture

That is insane. Where I went

O
(Baboon, 163
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 3:41pm

Third prize is you're fired.

SamuelClemens's picture

The war on drugs is nothing

PT
(Baboon, 116
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:36pm
In reply to SamuelClemens
SirTradesaLot's picture

SamuelClemens: The war on

 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 8:55pm

I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I'm also a fighter, so don't get any ideas.

My WSO Blog

historiclegend's picture

Just curious, have any of you

(Baboon, 111
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:05pm
In reply to historiclegend
Cola Coca's picture

historiclegend: Just curious,

O
(Orangutan, 321
 
Points)
 on 8/9/12 at 9:34pm
Edmundo Braverman's picture

@historiclegend You're

ST
(Human, 14,705
 
Points)
 on 8/10/12 at 1:15am

In reply to historiclegend
melvvvar's picture

historiclegend: Just curious,

(King Kong, 1,693
 
Points)
 on 8/10/12 at 1:26am
In reply to SirTradesaLot
SamuelClemens's picture

SirTradesaLot: SamuelClemen

PT
(Baboon, 116
 
Points)
 on 8/10/12 at 4:18am

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