Daily Mail: Morgan Stanley financial adviser escapes felony charges for hit-and-run 'because it could jeopardise his job

[Henry]

I rarely post articles but this one really got my blood boiling.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327323/Morgan-Stanley-financial-adviser-escapes-felony-charges-hit-run-jeopardise-job.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Morgan Stanley financial adviser escapes felony charges for hit-and-run 'because it could jeopardise his job'

A financial manager for wealthy clients will not face charges for a hit-and-run because it could jeopardise his job, it has been revealed.

Martin Joel Erzinger, 52, was set to face felony charges for running over a doctor who he hit from behind in his 2010 Mercedes Benz, and then speeding off.

But now he will simply face two misdemeanour traffic charges from the July 3 incident in Eagle, Colorado.

His victim, Dr Steven Milo, 34, is meanwhile facing 'a lifetime of pain' from his injuries.

But prosecutors claim the decision is theirs to make.

'Justice in this case includes restitution and the ability to pay it,' said District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.

He said Erzinger, a private wealth manager who manages more than $1billion in assets at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Denver, is willing to take responsibility and pay restitution.

'Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger's profession, and that entered into it,' he said.

click on link for the rest of the article.

[TheLongshot]

I could kinda understand it if the victim wanted the restitution, since the guilty party couldn't pay if he didn't have a job, but he seems to show no interest in that.

Dr Milo told Hurlbert that the case 'has always been about responsibility, not money'.

'Mr Erzinger struck me, fled and left me for dead on the highway,' he wrote. 'Neither his financial prominence nor my financial situation should be factors in your prosecution of this case.'

But the prosecutor insisted that the case is, in part, about the money. 'The money has never been a priority for them. It is for us,' he said.

I have a feeling there will be a DA who will be out of a job next election cycle.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Blind justice.......

[rictus58]

Nice timely topic for me.

I went to court yesterday for hit and run. I won't bore you with the specifics

I got $585 fine, 10 days suspended, 6 months probation plus enough points for my license to be suspended. Seems like I'll be punished more harshly than this guy. And I didn't even cause injury

[mmzznnxx]

The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced. ~Frank Zappa

[Hubbs]

What was that again about fairness and justice?

[Burgold]

Horrible. Just horrible. Yes, restitution is a part of it, but anyone who shows that kind of callous disregard for life is a menace and deserves punishment above and beyond the financial.

[IONTOP]

Funny quote:

Erzinger fled the scene and was arrested later, police say. He drove until he reached a Pizza Hut parking lot, where he stopped and called Mercedes auto assistance to report the damage to his vehicle.

Apparently in the MBUSA Roadside assistance manual, you must park in a parking lot of a sit down restaurant before calling for assistance

[KAOSkins]

Funny quote:

Apparently in the MBUSA Roadside assistance manual, you must park in a parking lot of a sit down restaurant before calling for assistance

Every new thing mentioned in these posts is worse than the last but this one takes the cake. Worry about his car?!? These prosecutors are going get blasted, and rightfully so.

[elkabong82]

IMO it should be up to the victim whether or not financial restitution is the most important thing. Clearly it is not to him, so the law should be upheld to its fullest for such an irresponsible and wreckless act.

[Thiebear]

The Chappelle show was a snapshot in time.

[ACW]

I wonder if these prosecutors would be so lenient with someone smoking pot :no:

[Destino]

Laws for the rich and laws for the rest. As the US works hard to cement an aristocracy this will be more common and more accepted.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Laws for the rich and laws for the rest. As the US works hard to cement an aristocracy this will be more common and more accepted.

It's already common we've seen celebrity justice for years, and this has always translated to the rich as well. We've always seen the rich and well connected getting away with things that the rest of us could never fathom. The only difference is that slowly the middle and lower classes are waking up to the illusion that justice is blind, or heck the illusion that justice is even just.