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Property "gurus" Jailed For 24 Years (Chantal Mccorkle)


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HOLA441

Surprised we haven't heard about this person before. Just heard her name mentioned briefly on R5. Basically, she and her husband advertised "the secrets of making money through property" in the 1990s and pretended to be rich in their adverts = fraud = 24 years in jail! Been banged up since 1998 and Americans now letting her come to the UK to stay in a UK prison.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/8292827.stm

Woman fraudster returns from US

A woman jailed for 24 years in the US for fraud, conspiracy and money-laundering has been returned to the UK.

Chantal McCorkle, 41, from Slough, Berkshire, was convicted by a Florida court in 1998.

She and husband William had made television commercials using actors posing as satisfied customers to promote their property advice business.

McCorkle is now being held at Holloway Prison in north London. Her family hopes she will be freed within a year.

Stepfather Len Forrester said: "We are delighted."

Mr Forrester, McCorkle's mother Diane and her younger sister Kerry, visited her in prison on Friday.

“ She still has that sparkle in her eyes ”

Stepfather Len Forrester

She will be based there until she is transferred to another jail.

Her transfer from the US came after she won an appeal to be allowed finish her sentence in the UK.

Mr Forrester added: "She arrived last Wednesday morning after an overnight flight.

"[My wife] Diane was very tearful. Chantal looked very good, she still has that sparkle in her eyes.

"We are both so delighted [and] there has been a lot of excitement in the family because they can go to see her now, but she is still incarcerated."

'Extreme sentence'

The McCorkles' business was investigated by police after customers complained about the couple's tapes and courses on how to make money buying and selling repossessed property.

Police discovered the McCorkles had hired a Florida mansion and private planes to "emulate a luxurious lifestyle" and used actors to pose as satisfied customers.

William McCorkle admitted full responsibility, saying his wife's role was minimal.

Her jailing was branded "vastly excessive" by human rights campaigners, who highlighted the fact that all the swindled money was repaid.

McCorkle's sentence was eventually cut from 24 years to 18 years in 2006.

She has apologised for her crimes, which is thought to be a factor in the US authorities agreeing to her transfer.

Slough MP Fiona Mactaggart, who was at the forefront of the campaign for McCorkle to serve a shortened jail term in the UK, said: "I do think the sentence was extreme for that kind of offence.

"And it was made more extreme because it had to be served in America."

The UK Ministry of Justice said it did not comment on individual cases.

The US Department of Justice is yet to comment on the reasons for McCorkle's transfer.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/berkshire/8292827.stm

Published: 2009/10/06 14:50:47 GMT

A bit more detail here since the above sin't clear on what she and her husband did wrong: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/woman-in-advert-fraud-could-be-sent-to-uk-jail-627268.html

I can think of quite a few people who were/are probably guilty of this in the recent housing boom.

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HOLA442

What I find interesting is how the Americans deal with this sort of fraud, 24 years. I bet they took all the assets off of her as well, irrespective of how they had been financed.

It would probably 24 months suspended in the UK, and she would have been able to keep the loot.

We need some proper fraud laws to act as a deterrent, and the siezing of all assets as a matter of course.

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HOLA443
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HOLA444

What I find interesting is how the Americans deal with this sort of fraud, 24 years. I bet they took all the assets off of her as well, irrespective of how they had been financed.

It would probably 24 months suspended in the UK, and she would have been able to keep the loot.

We need some proper fraud laws to act as a deterrent, and the siezing of all assets as a matter of course.

Probably be made an MP over here.

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HOLA445
Guest UK Debt Slave

What I find interesting is how the Americans deal with this sort of fraud, 24 years. I bet they took all the assets off of her as well, irrespective of how they had been financed.

It would probably 24 months suspended in the UK, and she would have been able to keep the loot.

We need some proper fraud laws to act as a deterrent, and the siezing of all assets as a matter of course.

Shame they don't apply the same rules to the Federal reserve, Hank paulson Geithner, Bernanke, Greenspan, Bush, Cheney et all isn't it? <_<

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HOLA446

What I find interesting is how the Americans deal with this sort of fraud, 24 years. I bet they took all the assets off of her as well, irrespective of how they had been financed.

It would probably 24 months suspended in the UK, and she would have been able to keep the loot.

We need some proper fraud laws to act as a deterrent, and the siezing of all assets as a matter of course.

When you read the details it does seem a grossly excessive sentance - I doubt whether any crime at all was committed under UK law.

From the Indy article she seems to have played a minor role in a business which produced some misleading adverts but gets a longer stretch than a murderer.

Strange country. :wacko:

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HOLA447

When you read the details it does seem a grossly excessive sentance - I doubt whether any crime at all was committed under UK law.

From the Indy article she seems to have played a minor role in a business which produced some misleading adverts but gets a longer stretch than a murderer.Strange country. :wacko:

-1

The majority of US states still have the death penalty

Many states also have a "life means life" law on changing sentences

But it is a strange country :ph34r:

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HOLA448

-1

The majority of US states still have the death penalty

Many states also have a "life means life" law on changing sentences

But it is a strange country :ph34r:

-1

From the OP's link:

"After a 10-week trial in Orlando, Florida, the McCorkles were subjected to the American points system on sentencing. Because more than $36m had flowed through their business over five years, they racked up 40 points, seven more than a second-degree murderer."

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HOLA449

-1

From the OP's link:

"After a 10-week trial in Orlando, Florida, the McCorkles were subjected to the American points system on sentencing. Because more than $36m had flowed through their business over five years, they racked up 40 points, seven more than a second-degree murderer."

More info here.................

My link

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HOLA4410

-1

From the OP's link:

"After a 10-week trial in Orlando, Florida, the McCorkles were subjected to the American points system on sentencing. Because more than $36m had flowed through their business over five years, they racked up 40 points, seven more than a second-degree murderer."

-1^3

I was talking about all US states, you're pulling up Florida, one of more than 50 states...

Exception =/= rule

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HOLA4411
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HOLA4412

-1^3

I was talking about all US states, you're pulling up Florida, one of more than 50 states...

Exception =/= rule

You were replying to my post about the extraordinarily long sentance imposed in the state of ........(drum roll)......... Florida.

(P.S. - 1^3 = -1).

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HOLA4413

You were replying to my post about the extraordinarily long sentance imposed in the state of ........(drum roll)......... Florida.

(P.S. - 1^3 = -1).

-1^4

They kill people for murder in Florida (and actually the great majority of American states):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States

Thats a bit worse than 24 years in prison :(

Drum roll -1 <_<

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HOLA4414

You were replying to my post about the extraordinarily long sentance imposed in the state of ........(drum roll)......... Florida.

(P.S. - 1^3 = -1).

-1^4

They kill people for murder in Florida (and actually the great majority of American states):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States

Thats a bit worse than 24 years in prison :(

Drum roll -1 <_<

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HOLA4415

-1^4

They kill people for murder in Florida (and actually the great majority of American states):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States

Thats a bit worse than 24 years in prison :(

Drum roll -1 <_<

Minus 1 to the power of 4 equals plus 1.

It is true that for first degree murder the penalties would be higher but, were I to pick up your computer and beat you to death with it, that would be second degree murder and hence less serious than producing some misleading adverts.

Also bear in mind that with the plea bargaining system a lot of premediated murders will get convicted as second degree cases.

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HOLA4416
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HOLA4417

interesting thing is that i was just reading about her in my copy of the Slough Express. She came from Slough.

Does seem excessive considering the number of people that get 2 years for seriously injuring people, but not quite actually murdering them.

I mean, America is full of outrageous TV ads claiming all sorts. Ads for instant scratch repair on cars, glues stronger than welds, radar detectors for speeders!!!! I mean, does anyone actually think that TV ads are actually 100% legitimate?

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HOLA4418

Minus 1 to the power of 4 equals plus 1.

It is true that for first degree murder the penalties would be higher but, were I to pick up your computer and beat you to death with it, that would be second degree murder and hence less serious than producing some misleading adverts.

Also bear in mind that with the plea bargaining system a lot of premediated murders will get convicted as second degree cases.

-1^5

[somebody putting out] some misleading adverts but gets a longer stretch than a murderer

=/= some murderers get executed, some get 100s of years, 2nd degree muderers may get less

Also bear in mind that with the plea bargaining system a lot of premediated murders may not get executed.

corrected that for you

Edited by Neverland
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HOLA4419
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HOLA4420

When you consider that the one-time "junk bond king" Michael Milken got only 10 years for insider trading on a very big scale, and then got let out after 2 years, their sentence does seem very harsh.

Yes, they DO execute murderers, but people get less for, say, running someone down when completely drunk, rape, robbing people at knifepoint, selling cocaine by the kilo etc etc......

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HOLA4421

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