“Basically, if a prosecutor wants to charge you, he goes to the Big Buffet of Endless Laws, and picks out a dish, or two, or three. Or umpteen.”
Yes! When I was on the Grand Jury 20 years ago, the State’s Attorney would present a list of charges against i.e., an armed robber from actual armed robbery through “carry a handgun open or concealed without a license,” down to spitting on the sidewalk. This to give them some room to “plead down” the case so they could get a quick guilty plea. Of course this means you got a lot of guys going to jail for lesser charges and less time than they deserved.
The Founding Fathers never envisioned that sort of “justice” system.