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Stating obvious, ultimately all individuals are responsible for their respective interpretations of the law and even judges error in their interpretations. That

Stating obvious, ultimately all individuals are responsible for their respective interpretations of the law and even judges error in their interpretations. That said, in my opinion, if an individual intentionally provides false statements or produces false documents to a federal investigator, that doing so is always a crime regardless of if it’s done to evade an investigation, material to a given investigation, etc — in part because knowing if a particular individual is being intentionally truthful is always material to an investigation.

ilyt 4y ago
But "document" contained his true name and picture
- O__________O 4y ago
  Woz per his own statements said he had to them provide his drivers ID and passport. No idea why you’re taking his account of the story as anything more than yet another lie - which is the point, he knew providing a fictional ID was an intentional misrepresentation of the truth, which I turn calls into questions any additional information he provides, which in turn makes it material to the investigation.
  - doctor_eval 4y ago
    That’s not my understanding of materiality at all. If the material information he provided was true then all the other silliness is just silliness. I mean, the agent is going to search on the name, probably find a photo in a license database, and confirm the guy is who he says he is, and that is the only point of asking for ID. They are hardly strong authenticators, and no professional is going to take some random bit of ID and use the non-identifying data on it to make decisions. What do you think they are going to do with the data anyway? The fact is also that Woz did nothing wrong. So why does he have to automatically cowtow to an authority figure? He provided the materially important information in a humorous way. He didn’t do anything wrong. He poked the bear, but only a little bit. Finally - not every citizen has a passport or even a drivers license. So even if requested, it’s not always possible to produce it. Honestly - I admire Woz, but I will admit that I find his pranks to be a bit self indulgent. So what? He literally did nothing wrong and poked a bit of fun at the state.
    - O__________O 4y ago
      Creditability of statements made by an investigator, witnesses, suspect, etc — are obviously material to an investigation and intentionally providing fictitious documents might be a crime, basis for throwing out testimony, throwing out evidence, etc. Nothing for or against Woz, but I for sure would never intentionally provide fictitious information or document to US federal investigator if situation ever presented itself, since ultimately once done it would be up to the investigator to present it for prosecution and judge to decide if it merited conviction. Woz makes it sound like the agent actually accepted the fake ID, but they clearly did not, since per Woz, they not only made him produce a drivers license, but also his passport. Why even put yourself in that position over a joke?
      - doctor_eval 4y ago
        > Why even put yourself in that position over a joke? Well yeah, I agree with you there. I wouldn’t have done it. Not that I think it’s right, but I suppose that being an old white billionaire changes the equation somewhat.

ilyt 4y ago

But "document" contained his true name and picture

O__________O 4y ago
Woz per his own statements said he had to them provide his drivers ID and passport. No idea why you’re taking his account of the story as anything more than yet another lie - which is the point, he knew providing a fictional ID was an intentional misrepresentation of the truth, which I turn calls into questions any additional information he provides, which in turn makes it material to the investigation.
- doctor_eval 4y ago
  That’s not my understanding of materiality at all. If the material information he provided was true then all the other silliness is just silliness. I mean, the agent is going to search on the name, probably find a photo in a license database, and confirm the guy is who he says he is, and that is the only point of asking for ID. They are hardly strong authenticators, and no professional is going to take some random bit of ID and use the non-identifying data on it to make decisions. What do you think they are going to do with the data anyway? The fact is also that Woz did nothing wrong. So why does he have to automatically cowtow to an authority figure? He provided the materially important information in a humorous way. He didn’t do anything wrong. He poked the bear, but only a little bit. Finally - not every citizen has a passport or even a drivers license. So even if requested, it’s not always possible to produce it. Honestly - I admire Woz, but I will admit that I find his pranks to be a bit self indulgent. So what? He literally did nothing wrong and poked a bit of fun at the state.
  - O__________O 4y ago
    Creditability of statements made by an investigator, witnesses, suspect, etc — are obviously material to an investigation and intentionally providing fictitious documents might be a crime, basis for throwing out testimony, throwing out evidence, etc. Nothing for or against Woz, but I for sure would never intentionally provide fictitious information or document to US federal investigator if situation ever presented itself, since ultimately once done it would be up to the investigator to present it for prosecution and judge to decide if it merited conviction. Woz makes it sound like the agent actually accepted the fake ID, but they clearly did not, since per Woz, they not only made him produce a drivers license, but also his passport. Why even put yourself in that position over a joke?
    - doctor_eval 4y ago
      > Why even put yourself in that position over a joke? Well yeah, I agree with you there. I wouldn’t have done it. Not that I think it’s right, but I suppose that being an old white billionaire changes the equation somewhat.