A recent story in the LA Times claimed Sean "Diddy" Combs was responsible for an attack on Tupac Shakur that took place in 1994, however it was revealed that the source of the story, an individual named James Sabatino, was lying to them and was guilty of fraud. Sabatino is a convicted felon, already serving time as he is a con man.
Fraud is a deception made for personal gain, and it can take many forms. In essence, it is lying for the sake of either gaining some form of property or service, or for furthering one's own position in a given situation. Many cases of fraud bring with them felony charges.
In a case of tax fraud for example, an individual may make a certain amount but not file an income tax return. As a result, they face up to 5 years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines depending upon the crime.
During the current real estate quagmire that the nation finds itself in, some individuals have been found guilty of real estate fraud, convincing people who were afraid of losing their homes that they could help them. These individuals made off with $12 million and the deeds to over 100 homes. These individuals however could face up to 20 years in prison, as well as extreme fines for their crimes.
Two attorneys in Sherman Oaks were recently sentenced for fraud concerning the creation of false foreign visas, which would allow people to work in the country legally. The attorneys pleaded guilty to the felony counts and were sentenced to 24 months in prison, another three years probation (including 6 months of house arrest) as well as $750,000 in fines.
In a downtown Los Angeles maternity clinic, several people were arrested for defrauding Medi-Cal (a California medicare program) by recruiting poor women who were pregnant for countless unneeded medical procedures and billing the state. The women were recruited with offers of cash, strollers and other items needed to take care of their babies. The individuals involved are being held on $200,000 bail.
In insurance fraud cases, guilty parties may be held liable to not only jail time, but repaying all of the fees and/or proceeds from their fraudulent activities. Corporations are not immune to fraud prosecution, as Pfizer was recently found guilty of two felonies and forced to pay $430 million in fines over fraudulently promoting a drug of theirs for unapproved uses.
and I wondered what other were saying about this. It seems to me that this is something the news media refuses to let go. Everyone wants to be the one who solves the crime. In reality what are the chances of us solving a 15 year old crime? And in the end does it matter? That shooting did not lead to Pac's death. He recovered from that shooting. So what's the fuss about?