Do we even know that the four off duty Rio police officers who were guarding a gas station in the middle of the night even knew about the sign?
Do we know security didn't give any money he obtained to the property owner (especially after the owner learned there was money involved)?
I have little doubt that if they didn't, they will say they did. I also believe the owner will tell anyone that asks that they did. It might even be true, but I wouldn't necessarily believe it just because they say so.
Do you doubt the anger of local gods (and their prosecutor and judge) was fully justified when Lochte falsely charged its law enforcement arm with corruption and embarrassed them before the world on this international stage?
One would think that if ripping down the sign was adequate provocation for four off duty Rio police officers who were guarding a gas station in the middle of the night to point a gun in his face and demand $400.00 from him, then why would a high ranking Brazilian police officer make up the story about a broken soap dish and broken mirror in a "vandalized" bathroom than none of them used?
You do know that the Rio Police have been caught in a lie about this?
Doesn’t matter
You seem to think that American justice system means something to Brazil
It doesn’t
They can have all the stupid laws they want, you as a guest, has to follow those rules, even the unwritten ones.
Remember, it is you, the individual up against a corrupt country and its police force. Good luck with that
My best advice when traveling to these countries, don’t vandalize or destroy anything, even if you think it was “just a free sign” from the manufacturer or whatever. Don’t draw attention to your tourist butt and you won’t end up in trouble like these idiots.
Be smart, sometimes it is better to be smart then to be right in these countries.
The speculative side questions you raise in #96 convince me of only one thing, we will continue go nowhere in the absence of credible or conceded facts. (If you have a factual summary of the court proceedings in this instance, it would be interesting reading.)
As I and others have argued upthread, Lochte’s greatest and perhaps only offense may be that he, for his personal benefit, allowed a lie to his mother (?) to be spotlighted at the international level to the great embarrassment of the host country.
As an aside, current or future sponsors may well wonder if he would cause them to suffer similar embarrassment. (For example, see Colin K. and the 49’ers.)