Comment by vpmpaul | Hacker News Reader

Comment by vpmpaul | Hacker News Reader

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It is and it is (sorta). I worked in the bank industry for many years and I could have stolen money a hundred different ways without getting caught.

The problem is that in the end the money has to go somewhere or be spent (why else steal it?). Also to live a legal life (house,car,boat) you have to have a source of income/spending that does not set off red flags. If you are a high paid bank employee why even bother? Many (most?) financial type crimes have no statue of limitations so to get away you literally have to get away with it for the rest of your life. The other side is even if you get away you will spend the rest of your life wondering if today is the day you get caught. To be honest I think that is why so many white collar crimes are so brazen looking. I think they would rather go to jail for a few years be done with it and live the rest of their lives with the money they have "lost".

Unless you live in a country like Russia where stealing money from the US is basically legal. Then go for it.

Many (most?) financial type crimes have no statue of limitations so to get away you literally have to get away with it for the rest of your life

At least in the US, this is inaccurate. Most financial/fraud crimes have a statute of limitations of 3-5 years, both at the state and federal level. Some federal crimes specifically against financial institutions have a SOL of 10 years. Generally the only crimes that have no statute of limitations are punishable by life/death (such as first degree murder). See https://www.justice.gov/usam/criminal-resource-manual-650-le...

SOL is a timer from time of crime to time of indictment, and indictment doesn't necessarily require knowing the precise identity of the defendant or capturing the defendant.

In GA, fleeing stops the clock, and in WA, "John Doe" can be indicted, subject to some restrictions.

https://tollefsenlaw.com/statute-limitations-tolled-against-...

IANAL

If the prosecutor can claim conspiracy and they almost always can. they can reset the clock essentially forever on the limitation statute. As I stated in my post you are essentally commited to variations on money laundering for the rest of your life unless you can make a "Retirement Level" lump sum of money usable for legal purposes.

> Unless you live in a country like Russia where stealing money from the US is basically legal. Then go for it.

I've also heard that about China. Just be sure not to target fellow nationals. I recall reading that Zeus botnet software did not include any Russian templates, for example.

But wasn't there a time when Russia cooperated more with the USA and EU? During the 00s, maybe?

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