I understand your point, but ultimately this isn't something a poor individual is going to face. The fraud perpetrated here can only be carried out by the relat

I understand your point, but ultimately this isn't something a poor individual is going to face. The fraud perpetrated here can only be carried out by the relatively well off so if the sentence is something that they can just brush off, e.g. A big fine, then where is the equality? A poor person who was facing the same charge would no doubt be unable to pay the fine and would get jail time as a result of failing to pay. So while what you say is true, we need to ensure that the poor are not disproportionately affected by justice, and perhaps justice does need to factor in wealth when considering sentencing. Although that does happen at present in the US, unfortunately the wrong way around. Rich kids getting lenient sentences for offences poor kids face time for.