Yesterday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Art Theft Detail charged a couple of scammers with forging Picassos, Dalis and Chagalls and selling them on their TV show. One of the charges they face is wire fraud.
Also yesterday, the Libby verdict come down, predictably, guilty. It reminded me of a recurrent rhetorical question – why isn’t it possibly to hold our leaders to the same standard Libby is being held to, but all the time? Make it such that it’s not legally acceptable to lie, not just to the grand jury, but in any public statements, State of the Union, press conferences.
At the confluence of these two events, I’d like to ask: why can’t those in power who have lied to get us to spend more than a trillion dollars in Iraq be charged with wire fraud? Below is the actual text of the statue (TITLE 18, PART I, CHAPTER 63, § 1343), which seems to fit. There’s been a scheme. There’s been false or fraudulent pretenses. It’s is definitely interstate.
Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.
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