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Judge gives woman choice: go to jail or give up Packers tickets
CBS 2 Chicago ^ | April 25, 2005 | AP

Posted on 04/25/2005 6:43:26 PM PDT by Land_of_Lincoln_John

OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) It's a choice that could give pause to some Green Bay Packers fans.

A judge ordered an Appleton woman convicted of theft to decide whether to spend 90 days in jail or donate her family's Packers tickets next season to charity.

Sharon E. Rosenthal, 59, of Appleton, took more than $3,000 from labor union accounts before she left the organization, according to a criminal complaint. She was sentenced Friday in Winnebago County Circuit Court on one felony count of theft.

Judge Scott Woldt offered her the decision to either serve the jail time or donate her family's four seats in the Packers' three-game season package to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The jail time or the ticket donation will occur as part of Rosenthal's overall two-year period of probation.

Information from: Oshkosh Northwestern, http://www.thenorthwestern.com


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: cheeseheads; cruelandunusual; greenbaypackers; packers
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1 posted on 04/25/2005 6:43:46 PM PDT by Land_of_Lincoln_John
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John
Judge Scott Woldt offered her the decision to either serve the jail time or donate her family's four seats in the Packers' three-game season package to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The real, Make-A-Wish, or will this make your wish, your honor?


2 posted on 04/25/2005 6:49:20 PM PDT by rdb3 (To the world, you're one person. To one person, you may be the world.)
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John

I like this Judge.. Have it your way,, But you're gonna pay.


3 posted on 04/25/2005 6:49:30 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ...... The War on Terrorism is the ultimate 'faith-based' initiative.)
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John
Not a very good decision IMHO.

First, the tickets are the family's tickets. Is the judge punishing her family for her nefarious deeds? Sort of sounds like something the Taliban would do. Saddam used to punish an entire family, too.

Second, why is she not allowed to pay back the money and do community service work?

Although, I'm sure the judge means well, but still he is punishing this woman's family by making her decide if she goes to jail or give up their Packer Season Tickets.

Now I hope her family wants her around for 90 days and will happily give up their tickets. Of course, on the other hand, there are some really die-hard family Green Bay Packer's fans that would say, hey, we love you but just do the time".

Man, this judge sure is cruel to divide a family like this just because she pilfered some union cash. Hey, lady, give a call to Sandy Berger, I think he can tell you how to get off with just a slap on your hand.

4 posted on 04/25/2005 7:05:35 PM PDT by harpo11
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John

Hey I got an idea..........

Go to jail AND give up your tickets for a year.


5 posted on 04/25/2005 7:09:15 PM PDT by baystaterebel (F/8 and be there!)
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John
She shouldn't have to give up the family tickets. HER ticket maybe.

Jail, restitution, and paying up a big fine of cold hard cash is the best way to go.

6 posted on 04/25/2005 7:13:59 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan ("This will help you with the pain - POW!!" - Jack Bauer)
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To: harpo11

I actually agree with you.

So if I have an asset the judge likes then he can "take" the asset under threat of jail vs simply paying back the money during the course of probation.

There is more to this story than is being said. I am never comfortable with judges deciding to "take" stuff.


7 posted on 04/25/2005 7:16:23 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John
Take it to the Supremes! This is cruel and unusual punishment.
8 posted on 04/25/2005 7:17:33 PM PDT by PMCarey
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To: PMCarey

Judges usually make this "creative" offers when they know there is zero chance of appeal. No money, and since it is a plea, the BS notion of consent is played up.


9 posted on 04/25/2005 7:21:21 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: longtermmemmory; harpo11

Nope, I gotta disagree ... too many times the family enjoys the ill-gotten gains but receives no punishment. I think the family enjoyed the extra income so the punishment is very fitting. The next time mom goes to commit a crime, the family will drop a dime on her to save the seats.


10 posted on 04/25/2005 7:33:37 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (The murder of Terri Schindler Schiavo - NOT IN OUR NAME)
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To: PMCarey
This is cruel and unusual punishment

Nah, that would have been making her exchange them for Dallas tickets this year. =(

11 posted on 04/25/2005 7:37:35 PM PDT by BigBadWolf
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John

This is idiotic. What kind of ruling is this? Put the woman in jail , make her pay a fine, or perform community service. Donating her "families" season tickets is going overboard IMO. She committed the crime, not her family.


12 posted on 04/25/2005 7:40:22 PM PDT by Peace will be here soon
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To: NonValueAdded

I really want to know more about the details.

Are these the type of season seats where you can simply buy the next set the following year? or are they a one shot deal.

I think I would feel less suspicious of a judge taking property IF he could tie the 3k directly to the seat tickets.

My concerns may be a bit essoteric, but I think trial court judges have a piss poor record of logic of late.


13 posted on 04/25/2005 7:41:11 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: NonValueAdded

"too many times the family enjoys the ill-gotten gains but receives no punishment."

Just because someone may have benefited indirectly from a crime does not mean they should be held into account for the crime ( if in fact they had nothing to do with the crime ).

This is basically the same argument being used for slavery reparations.


14 posted on 04/25/2005 7:49:41 PM PDT by Peace will be here soon
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To: BigBadWolf
This is cruel and unusual punishment

Nah, that would have been making her exchange them for Dallas tickets this year. =(

LOL. I was thinking Oakland...

15 posted on 04/25/2005 7:51:38 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (First you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women (HJ Simpson))
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To: Peace will be here soon

I think I would be less concerned if there was a DIRECT showing that the 3k was directly used to buy the tickets.

Of course she could have offered the tickets herself and that part is not covered by the story.


16 posted on 04/25/2005 7:58:22 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: longtermmemmory

"I think I would be less concerned if there was a DIRECT showing that the 3k was directly used to buy the tickets."

The article states the tickets belonged to the family. I take that as ownership of the tickets has been proven to belong to more than one person.

Unless there is "direct" evidence showing the money from the crime was used to buy the tickets, the judge has no right to seize ( or request ) the tickets be given to charity as part of a plea agreement. If there is direct evidence showing the purchase of the tickets with the money taken from the crime, then I would concede the court has the right to seize the tickets.

The victim should be considered here as well.


17 posted on 04/25/2005 8:15:09 PM PDT by Peace will be here soon
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To: NonValueAdded

Nope, I gotta disagree ... too many times the family enjoys the ill-gotten gains but receives no punishment. I think the family enjoyed the extra income so the punishment is very fitting. The next time mom goes to commit a crime, the family will drop a dime on her to save the seats.

Yep! Sure sounds like perhaps the tickets came from her ill gotten gain. What else would explain this bizarre sentence?

Could just be a bizarre judge too. It aint like we don't have a few, running and screaming thru the halls, is it?


18 posted on 04/25/2005 8:16:05 PM PDT by Allosaurs_r_us (for a fee........I'm happy to be........Your BACKDOOR MAN!....Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!)
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To: Land_of_Lincoln_John; All; freedumb2003; BigBadWolf

I sense a Jack Benny moment coming on....


And a FYI to all out-of-staters: in these here parts, you don't just BUY season tickets. You put your name on a waiting list that is YEARS long.

And cruel and unusual would have been Bears tickets.
;o)


19 posted on 04/25/2005 11:17:46 PM PDT by Watery Tart (Let the troof be toad. ®)
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To: NonValueAdded
Could be that they gained from her crime, but then again, perhaps they did not know that she was stealing money.

We don't know for what specific use she took the money. Maybe, she wanted reimbursement for her union dues that the union stold from her paycheck without her assent. Who knows.

Sure would like more details on this matter. Seems to me the judge should not punish the family for a family members crime. They could all be innocent and unknowing. I think it is too much retaliation.

But, you do have a good point about 'dropping a dime on her to save the seats.'

20 posted on 04/27/2005 7:37:49 PM PDT by harpo11
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