By BJ Bjornson
The evidence that the U.S. is fast turning itself into a banana republic just keeps piling up.
A financial manager for wealthy clients will not face felony charges for a hit-and-run because it could jeopardize his job, prosecutors said Thursday.
Martin Joel Erzinger, 52, faces two misdemeanor traffic charges stemming from a July 3 incident when he allegedly hit bicyclist Dr. Steven Milo from behind then sped away, according to court documents.
. . .
Milo, 34, is a physician living in New York City with his wife and two children, where he is still recovering from his injuries, court records show.
Milo suffered spinal cord injuries, bleeding from his brain and damage to his knee and scapula, according to court documents. Over the past six weeks he has suffered �disabling� spinal headaches and faces multiple surgeries for a herniated disc and plastic surgery to fix the scars he suffered in the accident.
�He will have lifetime pain,� Haddon wrote. �His ability to deal with the physical challenges of his profession � liver transplant surgery � has been seriously jeopardized.�
So basically, this guy ran down a cyclist, caused life-altering injuries, and then fled the scene, but apparently that isn�t enough for the DA to want to pursue charges, and it�s the reason he doesn�t that makes this a story worth mentioning.
Erzinger, an Arrowhead homeowner, is a director in private wealth management at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Denver. His biography on Worth.com states that Erzinger is �dedicated to ultra high net worth individuals, their families and foundations.�
Erzinger manages more than $1 billion in assets. He would have to publicly disclose any felony charge within 30 days, according to North American Securities Dealers regulations.
. . .
�Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger's profession, and that entered into it,� Hurlbert said.
You know what? Felony convictions should have �some pretty serious job implications� for Mr. Erzinger. They normally do, after all, regardless of one�s profession, and I can�t believe that any system of justice that decides that certain individuals shouldn�t face the consequences of their actions because it may impact their ability to make oodles of money is deserving of the name. It just makes it ever clearer that the term �justice� means something else entirely depending on the wealth of the individual in question.
It does *not* enter into the decision whether or not to lay a charge. It may well affect the tribunal's decision on conviction (as opposed to guilt) and it will certainly affect sentence, but the principle is that such matters are for the judge to sort out.
ReplyDeleteTo make it clearer: Is the prosecutor saying that this individual has a right to run down people and leave the scene? Will he feel differently if it happens again next week? How many people need to get run down before this guy decides it's too many?
What a numbskull.
Which is the better outcome? Erzinger could be convicted of a felony, do time, and be unable to pay the damages in any civil suit that might be brought or be convicted of a misdemeanor and pay damages to Dr. Milo for the injuries he's caused. Your call.
ReplyDeleteActually Dave, I figure it is more appropriate that it be Dr. Milo's call rather than mine, given he's the injured party here, and he seems pretty upset that the felony charges have been dropped. Erzinger's lawyer and the DA have made this about money and Erzinger's future income prospects, not Dr. Milo. If he's willing to risk potentially losing some of the damages he could otherwise recieve, how is it the DA's job to gainsay him?
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