• FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    In NY, it is a crime to falsely state the value of an asset on a loan document. It doesn’t matter if an actual person is harmed.

    There are plenty of laws that are designed to reduce the risk of harm. Apartment buildings are required to conform to fire codes. Restaurants are required to conform to health codes. Drivers are required to be sober and carry insurance.

    If your apartment has no fire exits, it doesn’t matter if nobody is hurt in a fire. If your restaurant pantry is full of rat droppings, it doesn’t matter if nobody got ill. If you are pulled over drunk without insurance, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t get in an accident.

    In each of those examples, you put people at risk, even if you “can’t point to an actual person that was directly or even indirectly harmed”. You broke the law, and you should be punished.

    Furthermore, the punishment has to exceed whatever you might have gained from breaking the law. If you don’t have auto insurance, the penalty has to be more than what auto insurance costs. Otherwise, you would be happy to pay a fine instead of buying auto insurance.

    In New York, there are laws against inflating your asset values on loan documents. Those laws are meant to protect all New Yorkers. When Trump lied on his loan documents, he harmed all New Yorkers. He broke the law. And the penalty has to be greater than whatever money he thought he might save by lying.

    • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      Value of property is highly variable and up to opinion.

      How was an average New Yorker harmed by trump claiming his property was worth more than it was? Please be very direct and specific. I can give you how trump getting that loan benefitted New Yorkers if you want…

      • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        For starters, the square footage of an apartment is not a matter of opinion, and Trump lied about the square footage.

        The average New Yorker was harmed by Trump in the same way that the average New Yorker is harmed by a drunk driver who makes it home without hitting anyone.

        • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          It was trumps lawyers not trump, but there are ways to make it look higher than it is.

          The average new yorker is not harmed by a drunk driver that doesnt hit anyone…

          • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            So you don’t understand why drunk drivers are punished? Or why you would be punished for driving 100 mph in a school zone without hitting anyone? Or why you would go to jail if you shot a few rounds into a crowd without hurting anyone?

            In that case, you simply don’t understand the point of public safety laws. Fortunately, prosecutors do understand.

            To summarize: There are laws. Even if you can’t understand why they exist, you have to obey them.

            • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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              9 months ago

              They are punished to prevent them from driving drunk in the present and the future, there is not actual harm from them being drunk and making it home save.

              If people are convicted by what could have been that is a very slippery slope.

              • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Exactly, and Trump is being punished to prevent him from lying on loan documents in the present and future.

                • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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                  9 months ago

                  He is being punished for running for president, that should be obvious. So again, please very directly tell me how people were harmed by trump. I can tell you how they benefitted.

                  • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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                    9 months ago

                    I already told you. He broke a law designed to keep New Yorkers safe. That means he put New Yorkers at unnecessary risk.

                    It doesn’t matter if any particular person was harmed, just like it doesn’t matter if a drunk driver actually harms someone or if a person who shoots into a crowd actually harms anyone.

                    It also doesn’t matter if anyone benefited from his illegal actions. If you put on an illegal fireworks show, maybe people benefit and maybe nobody gets hurt. You get punished nevertheless.

                    The law is the law. When you break it, you face punishment. End of story. Even if nobody was actually harmed, even if some people benefited.

        • HACKthePRISONS@kolektiva.social
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          9 months ago

          square footage is routinely fudged. some people go by exterior square footage, some people count the possible square footage of nonstructural walls. and some people go by interior, usable square feet.