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The secrets thing doesn't even have to matter. The guy STOLE a computer from NASA. The "at worst guilty of violating NASA policies" is complete nonsense. The

The secrets thing doesn't even have to matter. The guy STOLE a computer from NASA. The "at worst guilty of violating NASA policies" is complete nonsense. Theft of items exceeding $200 in value is a Grand Theft and is a felony in Virginia. This person committed a felony which in Virginia has a minimum one year prison sentence and up to twenty years. He should have been arrested and it is completely absurd that he wasn't. It's bizarre that the author of the article believes that a person can just steal a computer and it's not a crime.

corin_ 14y ago
I'd guess the legal difference could be between taking something you have no right to (theft) and keeping hold of something you had a right to but should have given back (he could argue he forgot, or hadn't yet sent it back). But from a cultural point of view it's obviously completely different. Anyone sane who let an employee go and realised he hadn't given back his laptop would tell them to give it back, not scream for jail team.
geon 14y ago
Stealing for $200 gives you one year in prison? Ouch.
- keithpeter 14y ago
  Ouch for the taxpayers who pay for the prison places. According to a freedom of information request in 2008, it costs just over £200 per day per prisoner in the UK. About £60 per day is direct costs and the rest is amortisation of buildings &c. Made me think... weekend prison like in Scandanavia, alternatives to prison &c
- illuminate 14y ago
  Fiscal conservatism means the state pays the eager prison industrials what, $60k+ for your 200 dollar loss.
- droithomme 14y ago
  Virginia lawmakers have tried to change the felony threshold to $500, but the law-and-order crowd in the state prefers the older $200 limit which has been there for decades and was more reasonable when originally set up. Even with a $500 limit though, most likely the cost to NASA of replacing a laptop meets that limit.
Blahah 14y ago
The last two sentences of the article imply that it might not have been theft after all: A charge of lying to the FBI about the laptop has been "resolved," according to the filings. There is no mention of charges regarding theft of government property.

corin_ 14y ago

I'd guess the legal difference could be between taking something you have no right to (theft) and keeping hold of something you had a right to but should have given back (he could argue he forgot, or hadn't yet sent it back). But from a cultural point of view it's obviously completely different. Anyone sane who let an employee go and realised he hadn't given back his laptop would tell them to give it back, not scream for jail team.

geon 14y ago

Stealing for $200 gives you one year in prison? Ouch.

keithpeter 14y ago
Ouch for the taxpayers who pay for the prison places. According to a freedom of information request in 2008, it costs just over £200 per day per prisoner in the UK. About £60 per day is direct costs and the rest is amortisation of buildings &c. Made me think... weekend prison like in Scandanavia, alternatives to prison &c
illuminate 14y ago
Fiscal conservatism means the state pays the eager prison industrials what, $60k+ for your 200 dollar loss.
droithomme 14y ago
Virginia lawmakers have tried to change the felony threshold to $500, but the law-and-order crowd in the state prefers the older $200 limit which has been there for decades and was more reasonable when originally set up. Even with a $500 limit though, most likely the cost to NASA of replacing a laptop meets that limit.

Blahah 14y ago

The last two sentences of the article imply that it might not have been theft after all: A charge of lying to the FBI about the laptop has been "resolved," according to the filings. There is no mention of charges regarding theft of government property.