Florida Man Sues Verizon...For Not Stopping Him From Stealing

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There are no words to describe how stupid this is. Then again, if you had nothing to do for the next ten years, I guess filing frivolous lawsuits is a way to pass the time.

A Florida man serving a ten-year prison stretch for identity theft to steal $300 from Verizon Wireless is suing the company...for not stopping him. James Leslie Kelly was convicted last October of grand theft and criminal use of personal identification information. Kelly used that data to steal $300 in goods and services from Verizon Wireless. But WFTV in Florida reports that the man is suing Verizon, claiming the company's "negligence" caused a "loss of civil liberties and freedoms," because he was convicted and sentenced to prison in connection with the case. Kelly is seeking $72 million in damages.
 
NeoNemesis said:
Seriously though, who gets 10 years for stealing $300?

Incarcerating this guy for 10 years is going to cost the American taxpayer somewhere in the ballpark of $400,000.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking it might be because he's a career criminal, as stated in the local news article. Judge may have had enough of seeing this guy.
 
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NeoNemesis said:
Seriously though, who gets 10 years for stealing $300?

Incarcerating this guy for 10 years is going to cost the American taxpayer somewhere in the ballpark of $400,000.
Click to expand...

He got 10 years for the identity theft and fraudulent use there after of the stolen identity. Saying it that way is a pretty big mischaracterization.

But in Florida 300 dollars is considered Grand theft, a felony. Florida also has a Three strikes law for habitual offenders:
http://klgdefense.com/florida-three-strikes-law/

Lots of people like to distort the truth and say oh this poor guy went to jail for 30 years for one bag of weed or steeling a pack of gum. But really why he went to jail was because he is a habitual offender and this is just the lattest offence in his criminal career.
 
The judge was appointed by Jeb Bush, Verizon made donations to Jeb Bush. There's your 10 years for $300.
 
FTFA

"Kelly has a criminal history stretching back to 1985 when he was convicted of grand theft with a firearm and sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison.

Between 1985 and 2014, he was convicted at least 37 times on charges including rental property fraud, trafficking in stolen property, receiving money through fraudulent use of a credit card."

This guy just seems like a fucking idiot.
 
SvenBent said:
You pay for jails through taxes in the states? but not for education?
Click to expand...

Not sure who your asking but I think you have your number reversed.

In 2016 the US spent:

661 Billion on Education

85 Billion on Prisons/Jails.

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/year_spending_2016USbn_18bs2n_2050#usgs302

If you ask me we are wastefully spending on education (We spend the most but are far from the best) a lot of money in the educations system is wasted on corruption and mismanagement. But that is getting off topic.

We need to be much harsher on criminals. We need to eradicate the "Career Criminal" They should no longer exist.
 
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Azphira said:
The judge was appointed by Jeb Bush, Verizon made donations to Jeb Bush. There's your 10 years for $300.
Click to expand...

Yea it had nothing to do with the fact that the guy had a felony criminal history dating back more than 20 years and committed multiple felony's in regards to his latest offence. :rolleyes:
 
Krazy925 said:
FTFA

"Kelly has a criminal history stretching back to 1985 when he was convicted of grand theft with a firearm and sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison.

Between 1985 and 2014, he was convicted at least 37 times on charges including rental property fraud, trafficking in stolen property, receiving money through fraudulent use of a credit card."

This guy just seems like a fucking idiot.
Click to expand...
WTF theft with a gun and he only got 2 1/2 years? 37 convictions you take him out back and put him down
 
tunatime said:
WTF theft with a gun and he only got 2 1/2 years? 37 convictions you take him out back and put him down
Click to expand...
In California our three strike law required 2 violent crimes.
I'm curious if Florida is the same, although my recollection is that it isn't.

My real question is how did the staff not ask him like for the last 4 of the social security number or some other personal question. That seems like a separate issue.
 
Riouken said:
Not sure who your asking but I think you have your number reversed.

In 2016 the US spent:

661 Billion on Education

85 Billion on Prisons/Jails.

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/year_spending_2016USbn_18bs2n_2050#usgs302

If you ask me we are wastefully spending on education (We spend the most but are far from the best) a lot of money in the educations system is wasted on corruption and mismanagement. But that is getting off topic.

We need to be much harsher on criminals. We need to eradicate the "Career Criminal" They should no longer exist.
Click to expand...


Thank you the info.

however idisagre with high er punishmet is going to help. ( i agree on the goal though)
most countries that i know have a way lower penalty rate and crime as well.
but they also have a total "free" (tax paid) education and hospital care.

i think removing some of the holes that lets peopel needing to move fomr thouer house due to hopsital bills or they doenst provide them the optimal opportuinty to get an education and thereby a well paid job with insurs etc. increase the likehood of crimes as its becomes more and more a better alternative to get out of a crisis when nothing else is to help you.

USA incarcerate more pele per 100.000 citizens then all 4 countries of Scandinavia combined ( individual measures then then added together).
but the same countries also have a growth optimal for all people

and the criminals pays for there stay in jail. not the tax payers.
offcause if the education system is broken and corrupt you can't just toss money at them either.


its just funny to see that the USA with such a high crime rate ( murder rape others cops kills). teenage pregnancies. amout of people in poverty. still believes that just doing what they are currently doing but doing it more is the way ahead. instead of looking outside on the countries that does a lot better on almost any possible way to measure a nation and try to say: hey maybe we should try this just for a while.

but trust me living in texas i understand what the trust to a bigger government is just not there cause so far they have done a piss poor job everytime i had to use them


TLDR: it think it takes a lot more than just increasing punishment to get rid of carries criminals. and its a hard task ahead sadly
 
Love these interesting articles, the ones that feature our beloved superhero - Florida-Man, and his silly adventures.
 
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I wonder who is dumber... the guy suing VZW or his attorney took the case.
 
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NeoNemesis said:
Seriously though, who gets 10 years for stealing $300?

Incarcerating this guy for 10 years is going to cost the American taxpayer somewhere in the ballpark of $400,000.
Click to expand...
That's a wrong way of thinking of things.

This guy doesn't work, he steals for a living. Every morning he wakes up and thinks of new ways to victimize others in society. The cost of incarcerating him for 10 years is likely WAY cheaper than the cost of investigating his crimes, tracking him down and arresting him, and the courts serving out punishments that he won't pay because the only money he has is stolen... not to mention the costs of what he is stealing over a 10 year period.

Yes, it would be cheaper if post-birth abortions were legal and we could terminate him, but you have to compare the costs of keeping him in a cell versus the cost of 10 more years of criminal activity, especially when the criminal activity is violent (too many innocent people are maimed, mutilated, or killed by lifetime predators we let go into society).
 
SvenBent said:
TLDR: it think it takes a lot more than just increasing punishment to get rid of carries criminals. and its a hard task ahead sadly
Click to expand...

Its an easy problem to fix, people just dont have the will to do it.

Take away the vacation resorts that we call prisons right now, Criminals should work in hard labor camps in what ever capacity will help offset the cost of their imprisonment. No creature comforts with the exception of books and letters. No, A/C no TV, their waking hours should be spent working off the cost of there incarceration.

Dramatically ramp up the three strikes laws we have now:

Some crimes should be automatic death sentences and for those that are squeamish about capitol punishment the criminal can choose the option of banishment.

If they choose banishment:
  • They get a raft(built by prison labor) and one gallon of water and are released from the mainland.
  • If they ever set foot back on US soil they are executed within 24 hours.

3rd strike
  • Minimum 25 year prison.
4th strike:
  • Lifetime prison sentence. (True life, as in until they die in prison)
If by some chance they can make it to a 5th strike:
  • death sentence.

Within 5 years there would be no such thing as a career criminal.


But on the flip side I believe that once you have paid you debt to society and released from prison that all of your rights should be restored and your records sealed and only available to law enforcement and the criminal justice system. But this should only happen if we reform the punishment first.
 
Ducman69 said:
That's a wrong way of thinking of things.

This guy doesn't work, he steals for a living. Every morning he wakes up and thinks of new ways to victimize others in society. The cost of incarcerating him for 10 years is likely WAY cheaper than the cost of investigating his crimes, tracking him down and arresting him, and the courts serving out punishments that he won't pay because the only money he has is stolen... not to mention the costs of what he is stealing over a 10 year period.

Yes, it would be cheaper if post-birth abortions were legal and we could terminate him, but you have to compare the costs of keeping him in a cell versus the cost of 10 more years of criminal activity, especially when the criminal activity is violent (too many innocent people are maimed, mutilated, or killed by lifetime predators we let go into society).
Click to expand...

To be fair, I only read the blurb that was posted on redit and didn't make it all the way to the full article.

It seems like in this case there were extenuating circumstances that inflated the length of sentence. HOWEVER, we still put way too many people in jail for far too long.
 
NeoNemesis said:
HOWEVER, we still put way too many people in jail for far too long.
Click to expand...
People say that, but the United States at no point has incarcerated more than 1% of the adult population. Well under a percent is really not a lot, considering how many people are predators (IMO, only about 90% of people are actually good and want to contribute to society).

An alternative solution would be to write off a state like say Alaska, and for non-violent crime after three strikes you just revoke their citizenship and deport them to Alaska. Just, plop, see ya! We'd save fortunes, and since crime breeds crime, we could cull our population to just the good altruistic citizens in no time. :D
 
Ducman69 said:
People say that, but the United States at no point has incarcerated more than 1% of the adult population. Well under a percent is really not a lot, considering how many people are predators (IMO, only about 90% of people are actually good and want to contribute to society).

An alternative solution would be to write off a state like say Alaska, and for non-violent crime after three strikes you just revoke their citizenship and deport them to Alaska. Just, plop, see ya! We'd save fortunes, and since crime breeds crime, we could cull our population to just the good altruistic citizens in no time. :D
Click to expand...

I like it :)

 
Many countries don't have the "cultural issues" that we in the States do.
Some cultures in the U.S. have a behavior problem.

There are many places in the world stricken with poverty and they don't
go out murdering people every day.

There are plenty of neighborhoods in the U.S. that have high firearm
ownership and they don't go out murdering people every day.

It's not a money, jobs, or gun problem. It's a problem with the culture of crime.

And the courts going soft on violent crime is also a huge problem.

It's not that the causes of the problems are unknown, the U.S. is just too
bent on being politically correct to fix the problems.


.
 
Ducman69 said:
People say that, but the United States at no point has incarcerated more than 1% of the adult population. Well under a percent is really not a lot, considering how many people are predators (IMO, only about 90% of people are actually good and want to contribute to society).

An alternative solution would be to write off a state like say Alaska, and for non-violent crime after three strikes you just revoke their citizenship and deport them to Alaska. Just, plop, see ya! We'd save fortunes, and since crime breeds crime, we could cull our population to just the good altruistic citizens in no time. :D
Click to expand...

Fuck that, send em to California or NYC or Chicago, they love criminals there already.
 
Spartacus said:
Many countries don't have the "cultural issues" that we in the States do.
Some cultures in the U.S. have a behavior problem.

There are many places in the world stricken with poverty and they don't
go out murdering people every day.

There are plenty of neighborhoods in the U.S. that have high firearm
ownership and they don't go out murdering people every day.

It's not a money, jobs, or gun problem. It's a problem with the culture of crime.

And the courts going soft on violent crime is also a huge problem.

It's not that the causes of the problems are unknown, the U.S. is just too
bent on being politically correct to fix the problems.


.
Click to expand...

In what politically incorrect ways could the problem be fixed?
 
NeoNemesis said:
Seriously though, who gets 10 years for stealing $300?

Incarcerating this guy for 10 years is going to cost the American taxpayer somewhere in the ballpark of $400,000.
Click to expand...

I'd sue the judge on behalf of the people for gross misuse of public funds.
 
SvenBent said:
Thank you the info.

however idisagre with high er punishmet is going to help. ( i agree on the goal though)
most countries that i know have a way lower penalty rate and crime as well.
but they also have a total "free" (tax paid) education and hospital care.

i think removing some of the holes that lets peopel needing to move fomr thouer house due to hopsital bills or they doenst provide them the optimal opportuinty to get an education and thereby a well paid job with insurs etc. increase the likehood of crimes as its becomes more and more a better alternative to get out of a crisis when nothing else is to help you.

USA incarcerate more pele per 100.000 citizens then all 4 countries of Scandinavia combined ( individual measures then then added together).
but the same countries also have a growth optimal for all people

and the criminals pays for there stay in jail. not the tax payers.
offcause if the education system is broken and corrupt you can't just toss money at them either.


its just funny to see that the USA with such a high crime rate ( murder rape others cops kills). teenage pregnancies. amout of people in poverty. still believes that just doing what they are currently doing but doing it more is the way ahead. instead of looking outside on the countries that does a lot better on almost any possible way to measure a nation and try to say: hey maybe we should try this just for a while.

but trust me living in texas i understand what the trust to a bigger government is just not there cause so far they have done a piss poor job everytime i had to use them


TLDR: it think it takes a lot more than just increasing punishment to get rid of carries criminals. and its a hard task ahead sadly
Click to expand...

It all boils down to the fact that the public schools and the people that control them as well as colleges, politicians, "news media", and others have all pretty much brainwashed people into eliminating personal responsibility.

That is... if you break the law, it is not your fault. It is one of these:
Mental issues
Your surroundings
You are the victim, not the people who the crime was committed against

And there are also the idiots who have perpetuated the lie that discipline is bad for children because "you might hurt their psyche or whatever the random BS reason of the day is.

They are reaping the consequences of their purposeful stupidity.
 
Lizard Testes said:
In what politically incorrect ways could the problem be fixed?
Click to expand...

Actually having real consequences be the same for everybody.

Little Peon breaks the law and they get years in jail.

Rich person and/or politician does the same and everybody in power just looks the other way.

There is a HUGE double standard not only politically, but also when it comes to who you are, who you know, and how much money you have.

Oh and also by actually calling things what they are and people for who/what they are.

The PC crap needs to stop. IT ISN'T HELPING AT ALL.
 
cyclone3d said:
It all boils down to the fact that the public schools and the people that control them as well as colleges, politicians, "news media", and others have all pretty much brainwashed people into eliminating personal responsibility.

That is... if you break the law, it is not your fault. It is one of these:
Mental issues
Your surroundings
You are the victim, not the people who the crime was committed against

And there are also the idiots who have perpetuated the lie that discipline is bad for children because "you might hurt their psyche or whatever the random BS reason of the day is.

They are reaping the consequences of their purposeful stupidity.
Click to expand...

I disagree with you there. That make be the case for those fragile little whiners who hide in college safe spaces, but career criminals like this know exactly what they're doing, they don't see themselves as victims, they just don't give a fuck.
 
cyclone3d said:
It all boils down to the fact that the public schools and the people that control them as well as colleges, politicians, "news media", and others have all pretty much brainwashed people into eliminating personal responsibility.

That is... if you break the law, it is not your fault. It is one of these:
Mental issues
Your surroundings
You are the victim, not the people who the crime was committed against

And there are also the idiots who have perpetuated the lie that discipline is bad for children because "you might hurt their psyche or whatever the random BS reason of the day is.

They are reaping the consequences of their purposeful stupidity.
Click to expand...

Its funny because countries that does the mentally that criminal is a problem that needs to be fixed rather than punished and that does indeed forbid corporal punishmnet by law of kids.
are the same countries having less crimes. The crime rate in USA is criminal high (bad pun i know) despite highver punishments, but still people overhere (usa) insist that its more punishment that needs to be done... you dont see the paradoxical nature of that?.


Spartacus said:
Many countries don't have the "cultural issues" that we in the States do.
Some cultures in the U.S. have a behavior problem.

There are many places in the world stricken with poverty and they don't
go out murdering people every day.

There are plenty of neighborhoods in the U.S. that have high firearm
ownership and they don't go out murdering people every day.

It's not a money, jobs, or gun problem. It's a problem with the culture of crime.

And the courts going soft on violent crime is also a huge problem.

It's not that the causes of the problems are unknown, the U.S. is just too
bent on being politically correct to fix the problems.
.
Click to expand...


I'm not sure what you mean by "cultures" but if it is what i assume i can only inform that countries like denmark takes in 4 times as many foreigns people as the states does (per capita)
but Denmark also have a way bigger "service" in immigration than here in the states.
You get up to 3 years of language education "free" to help you better integrate into society.
Is there still issues, off cause, but its way less than the states has it.

it just seems like the States prefer to deal with the consequences rather then deal with it ahead of time.

I'm not saying people shouldn't be punished but its far more effective to try to actually rehabilitate people and turn them into good assets for the country than juts lock them away for some time and then back out to status quo. IMHO
 
Free Country <--------------------|--------------------> Safe Country

Which side and how far should we be? That's the age old fight in this country.
 
westrock2000 said:
Free Country <--------------------|--------------------> Safe Country

Which side and how far should we be? That's the age old fight in this country.
Click to expand...
Personally?
I'll always choose freedom over safety. I can make my surroundings safe -- not necessarily free.
 
NeoNemesis said:
I disagree with you there. That make be the case for those fragile little whiners who hide in college safe spaces, but career criminals like this know exactly what they're doing, they don't see themselves as victims, they just don't give a fuck.
Click to expand...

I didn't say that it is every criminal that thinks that.. in fact I highly doubt very many of them at all think that.

But because the powers that be claim that, the criminals can use that as a defense and possibly get away with it.
 
NeoNemesis said:
Seriously though, who gets 10 years for stealing $300?

Incarcerating this guy for 10 years is going to cost the American taxpayer somewhere in the ballpark of $400,000.
Click to expand...

He didn't get 10 years just for stealing $300 in services;
Kelly has a criminal history stretching back to 1985 when he was convicted of grand theft with a firearm and sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison.

Between 1985 and 2014, he was convicted at least 37 times on charges including rental property fraud, trafficking in stolen property, receiving money through fraudulent use of a credit card.
Click to expand...
http://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/...im-steal-man-identity/1JPAgeKvvWSnOgL4ueoexL/

And even with all that as justification it still probably won't cost that much. It would if he does the whole 10 years, but unless he gets even stupider he'll get out earlier.

And even if he does do 10 years, that $400K isn't just being spent to jail this one guy. It's also being spent to encourage others not to do such stupid things.

The fact that it costs so much is lamentable, I'd much rather we saved more of that money and didn't treat these clowns quite so good. No TV, computer access, books, give them hammers and let them make little rocks is fine with me. Go watch Brubaker if you haven't, I'm all for treating prisoners fairly and not taking advantage of them. But I am also for making prison an experience they never want to relive and the fact that they are more afraid and worried about the other criminals then they are about the guards, that's a sign that our prisons have a problem and that problem didn't always exist. So something changed. We need to look at how to change it back.
 
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cyclone3d said:
Actually having real consequences be the same for everybody.

Little Peon breaks the law and they get years in jail.

Rich person and/or politician does the same and everybody in power just looks the other way.

There is a HUGE double standard not only politically, but also when it comes to who you are, who you know, and how much money you have.

Oh and also by actually calling things what they are and people for who/what they are.

The PC crap needs to stop. IT ISN'T HELPING AT ALL.
Click to expand...


I agree that we shouldn't be hearing stories like this, but you know there is another issue. Sometimes we here stories like this because people are trying to paint a picture that doesn't exist. They don't tell you that just like in this article, the man being sentenced so severely is a lifetime criminal, convicted almost 40 times going all the way back to 1985. So sometimes Richie Rich is facing his first conviction and the poor downtrodden the writer wants to compare him to has been in and out all his life. The writer of the article for this target left out those little pertinent details and many times it's the same kind of writers who have left us with the impression that the rich kids get unfair breaks. I'm not saying it never happens, I'm saying it might not happen nearly as much as we think.

You know, the media does the same thing when they try to portray the penalties for pot as abusive, years for getting caught holding. They love to leave out the little details like the guy was stopped for some other crime or violation of his parole and the possession charge was just one of many and the sentence is the sentence for his previously convicted offenses.

The biggest crime we have going on today is being pulled on us every day by the media.
 
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