Free Republic

He was fast and then furious. A man caught speeding down a Georgia freeway was bewildered when cops slapped him with a $1.4 million ticket last month. Connor Cato was driving home through Savannah on Sept. 2 when Georgia State Patrol caught him going 90 in a 55-mile-per-hour zone, he admitted to WSAV-TV. While he expected a hefty fine, Cato was astounded when he was handed the seven-figure charge. He called the court assuming the fee was a typo but was reportedly told he either had to pay the sum or appear in court. “‘$1.4 million,’ the lady told me...

A woman pulled over for going 51 in a 20 mph school zone in Palm Beach County told the deputy "no wonder you people get shot" in an incident recorded by the deputy's dashcam video. The traffic stop was made back on Sept. 1 near Hagen Ranch Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard in the area of Hagen Ranch Elementary, WPTV reported. The video, which was posted by the Sheriff's Office to YouTube, shows the deputy pulling the speeding car over. He then writes up a $606 ticket and approaches the car to hand it to the woman. "You are being...

Reima Kuisla, a Finnish businessman, was recently caught going 65 miles per hour in a 50 zone in his home country—an offense that would typically come with a fine of a couple hundred dollars, at most, in the U.S. But after Finnish police pulled Kuisla over, they pinged a federal taxpayer database to determine his income, consulted their handbook, and arrived at the amount that he was required to pay: €54,000. The fine was so extreme because in Finland, some traffic fines, as well as fines for shoplifting and violating securities-exchange laws, are assessed based on earnings—and Kuisla's declared income...

In Finland, traffic violation fees are on a “sliding-scale” basis, according to the seriousness of the traffic offense and how much the offender makes. Which is bad news for rich people with bad driving habits because authorities check your tax returns should you surface on their radar. Meet businessman Reima Kuisla. The BBC reported poor, or rather rich, Mr. Kuisla was driving 14 mph over the speed limit and was stopped by a police officer. After perusing his 2013 tax return, he was issued a ticket for almost $60,000. His tax returns revealed he brought in $7.2M in 2013. But,...

LAST WEEK I GOT A SPEEDING TICKET. OK fine, I was speeding 32 mph in a 20 mph zone in front of the tank farm just past Scanlan's gas station. Well like a good citizen I go in to pay my ticket and the clerk tells me to pay $60.00.OK I pay my sala and notice that there are 2 revenue codes listed: 1 for (100-221-4510) $50.00 and 1 for (101-714-4512) $10.00. So I ask the clerk what the other charge was as I was only sighted for speeding.She tells me that the other charge is a Law Enforcement Fee....

Bristol Palin isn't the only one living fast these days. Sarah and Todd Palin's second oldest daughter, Willow Palin, 16, was ticketed in Alaska for driving nearly 20 miles per hour over the speed limit in the family's black Cadillac Escalade SUV. According to a TMZ review of documents filed in Alaska, Willow was said to be driving 84 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone. According to the website, she was issued a 'minor offence' citation for $162 and let go 'without further incident'.

The economist got a speeding ticket, and it got him thinking about why. Thomas A. Garrett, an assistant vice president at the St. Louis Federal Reserve, knew he deserved to be ticketed while on vacation in Pennsylvania a few years ago. But, he wondered, are traffic tickets purely about public safety? Or are other factors at play? Many motorists probably have wondered the same thing sitting on a highway shoulder waiting for a citation. But Garrett turned it into a scholarly pursuit. He decided to conduct a study. What Garrett and a co-author discovered provides yet another reason to hate...

A senior executive at Finland's third largest bank Sampo was handed a fine of 14,624 euros (17,951 dollars) for speeding by the Helsinki appeals court, Finnish media reported...In Finland fines are given according to one's salary. (editing mine)

<p>An al Qaeda sleeper agent "wrapped in his cloak of American citizenship" has secretly pleaded guilty to aiding Osama bin Laden by scouting out bridges and railroads for destruction in New York and Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft said yesterday.</p>

A close call for an accused Santa 'If you want good gifts, you must acquit' 12/14/2002 By SELWYN CRAWFORD / The Dallas Morning News FORT WORTH - In a standing-room-only courtroom filled with chants of "Free Santa" and "If you want good gifts, you must acquit," a jury Friday found St. Nick not guilty - by a whisker. The charge: speeding in a school zone. The overwhelming reason for acquittal: Testimony revealed that an impostor - Santa Pause - stole the jolly old man's sleigh from in front of an East Fort Worth residence. But the verdict didn't come...

<p>A court in Yakima, Washington is taking Lady Justice digital by allowing drivers to e-mail their excuses or explanations instead of appearing in court.</p> <p>Other courts allow attorneys to file briefs online. And many counties let offenders pay traffic fines on the Web. But Yakima County is believed to be the first court in the country to let defendants plead their cases via e-mail.</p>