Lost in the hubbub over TABOR author Doug Bruce’s release from jail yesterday after serving (most of) his six-month sentence for tax evasion, the Fort Collins Coloradoan reports:
A former Larimer County Republican Party chairman who stole $17,000 from the party to gamble and to support himself avoided prison Thursday when he was sentenced to five years of probation.
Larry Carillo, 33, previously pleaded no-contest to the felony theft charge that carried a penalty of up to two to six years in prison. He has no other criminal history, and prosecutors had asked for probation…
Prosecutor Kent Leier, from Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck’s office, said the total losses to the party amount to about $35,000.
The Coloradoan reports that Larry Carillo says he will work with the Larimer County Republican Party “to arrange restitution,” which of course means that he hasn’t made restitution as of now. This scandal also snowballed into other embarrassments of the Larimer County GOP, such as Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s abortive date with the dunk tank to help pay off their fine.
But here’s our question–both Carillo and Bruce were convicted of felonies, Carillo felony theft and Bruce felony tax evasion. Bruce had other charges, most seriously attempting to influence a public official. But should both Carillo and Bruce have gone to jail? Perhaps neither of them should have? Were Bruce’s complex tax games worse than Carillo’s straightforward thieving?
A poll follows. Don’t choose who you’d rather have as a cellmate, we know the answer to that.
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He’ll have 5 years of probation in which to think about the consequences of his actions.
Doug Bruce on the other hand isn’t going to change one whit. If he continues to scheme and chisel to undermine the law, then he deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Justice was served in each case.
“Who cares about the result in the O.J. Simpson case – justice was served.”
and like Charlie Manson, unlikely to receive it.
So he’s currently laying pipe in jail, having a wonderful time, no doubt. Eventually justice was served, albeit somewhat delayed. Simpson was always a street punk, so it was inevitable that he’d get caught for something.
Maybe Doug Bruce will become a prison reform crusader, working for better conditions for all inmates, including lighter duties, better food, and more funding.
Nah — probably not.
I’m betting ArapaGOP wasn’t quite so sanguine about that result.
There should have been SOME jail time and substantial amount of useful community service. It’s not like he stole a few hundred bucks here. He stole $17,000 in a calculated manner over a period of time.
I’m not offended by probation. He is a convicted felon. Someday, hopefully not for 20+ years he’ll get pardoned
part of sentence as well. not very much, 240 hours
… or at least a harsher punishment than probation.
It’s not an insignificant amount of cash we’re talking about, and he hasn’t paid it back – i.e. he spent it and apparently can’t (or won’t) sell off his possessions to make restitution.
If this was any normal financial hardship, he’d be on the line to pay his debts NOW. Why does he get to skate as a criminal?
Frankly, I’d like to see jail time as a felon, if only a week or two – that gives him the added benefit of experiencing our justice system’s revocation of voting rights, which seems somehow appropriate given the office he abused.