WP - Ex-Bush Aide Pleads Guilty to Theft

[Burma Jones]

Claude Allen Blames Stress and Sleep Deprivation for Target Scam
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/04/AR2006080400919.html

<snip>

His wife told the court that the couple was in the process of moving into their Gaithersburg house last fall, which she described as a stressful process. She also said Allen last fall often got just a few hours of sleep at night as the administration dealt with Hurricane Katrina.

The judge said Allen was being treated no differently than any other first-time offender with a sterling background.

He said Allen has already been severely punished by the "humiliation, shame, embarrassment and hurt that you have brought upon yourself."

After court adjourned, Claude embraced his pastor for several minutes and wept quietly as the pastor spoke into his ear. Allen and his supporters declined to comment outside of court.

Allen was charged last March with conspiracy to commit theft and theft over $500, both of which are felonies. His lawyers and the prosecutor earlier this week disclosed that they had reached an agreement under which he would plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor theft and avoid jail time.

Allen, a lawyer, might be sanctioned by the three jurisdictions where he is licensed to practice law: Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District.

</snip>

[sofa king]

1. Hm. I would have blamed the permissive criminal atmosphere in DC.

[Judi Lynn]

2. He must have gotten the idea from his boss who stole the elections. n/t

[The Deacon]

3. Nope

All those Twinkies I ate while moving in. "Party of Responsibility" my aching buttocks.

[louis-t]

4. 2 things occurred to me.

I just moved, too. It WAS stressful. I didn't feel the need to steal anything.

Clinton's license to practice law was revoked for lying in court. This guy's should be too.

[rodeodance]

7. making up excuses for stealing never does anyone good.

[KansDem]

5. Is this the Bushista who would go into a store and pick up an item...

...then take it to the return desk a say he wanted a refund but didn't have the receipt? I remember reading about him...

If so, he did this several times over a period of time, making the "I'm under stress" defense a bit hard to accept.

[wicket]

6. That's the one

n/t

[ck4829]

8. I guess his evil twin didn't do it after all.

[Vinca]

9. Wept with the pastor . . . nice touch.

And I loved the excuse: stealing to relieve tension. Tomorrow a drug from Merck to treat SRT.:rofl:

[nealmhughes]

10. Sorry Claude. Sleep deprivation means you are exhausted and not thinking

clearly. Pulling a con requires a pretty steady mind. Oops. You got caught, now fess up, don't feed us any twinkies.

[PinkyisBlue]

11. He modeled himself after Karl Rove.

Except Claude had the decency to resign after he got caught.

[Heywood J]

12. The judge thinks he's ashamed because he did it?

If he's ashamed because he did it, he would have gone and sought counselling or at least admitted to his wife that he had a problem after the first few times. Doing it twenty-five times is NOT ashamed of doing it, that's ashamed of being caught.

I can understand if stress pushed him to a kleptomanic incident - e.g. he pocketed something and left. Refund scams are a little more complicated than that, and require more planning beforehand - more intent. I work retail, we see this kind of shit all the time and talk to the people who try it. Sounds to me like he knew what he was doing, and that he was aiming for a career.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Stress might cause you to neglect things, or do a spur of the moment crime

but these were carefully planned and executed scams. While I tend to agree that first time non-violent offenders shouldn't get jail time, I think this should be permanently on his criminal record. His future should depend on him proving himself such a reformed citizen that people accept him despite knowing his past dishonesty. 40 hours of community service is pathetic - one week's work. 400 might be nearer the mark.

[Heywood J]

14. Exactly.

He gets a criminal record for theft like the rest of the world when they get caught, and in sufficient time, if he's led a reformed life, he can apply for a pardon.

[vkobaya]

15. Greed. Greed! Greed is God!

He got greedy, watching his boss, the Thief in Chief, steal
not millions, not billions, but trillions of dollars. Figured
he was entitled to his own share. The judge also did not
relish banging his gavel inside a cell in Gitmo.