In today's episode of "The Rich Get Off."

[Tev]

So, remember that story about the rich kid that got wasted and killed a few people with his car but didn't go to prison because his well-paid family lawyer convinced the judge that he had "afluenza" and was just too rich to go to jail?

Well, it seems recent court filings have uncovered a 2009 case that is even sicker than that:

A Delaware man convicted of raping his three-year-old daughter only faced probation after a state Superior Court judge ruled he "will not fare well" in prison.

In her decision, Judge Jan Jurden suggested Robert H. Richards IV would benefit more from treatment. Richards, who was charged with fourth-degree rape in 2009, is an unemployed heir living off his trust fund. The light sentence has only became public as the result of a subsequent lawsuit filed by his ex-wife, which charges that he penetrated his daughter with his fingers while masturbating, and subsequently assaulted his son as well.

Richards is the great grandson of du Pont family patriarch Irenee du Pont, a chemical baron.

According to the lawsuit filed by Richards' ex-wife, he admitted to assaulting his infant son in addition to his daughter between 2005 and 2007. Richards was initially indicted on two counts of second-degree child rape, felonies that translate to a 10-year mandatory jail sentence per count. He was released on $60,000 bail while awaiting his charges.

Richards hired one of the state's top law firms and was offered a plea deal of one count of fourth-degree rape charges -- which carries no mandatory minimum prison sentencing. He accepted, and admitted to the assault.

[Red Mage Black]

I love this little gem from the article: “how a person with great wealth may be treated by the system.”

Like that even matters in this case. "He will not fare well," well no duh. Not even those in jail for assault or murder are fans of child rapists, but that's why they usually put the poor sick guys in some type of protective crap to keep them out of general population. Sure, I agree with "he should have counseling", like all criminals really, but that does mean he should still serve his time.

Of course, this brings up the iffy subject of, "Victims creating more victims," but was that the case or did he just start a cycle or perpetuate one? Either way, our justice system is really farked in dealing with these kinds of things.

[Osterbaum]

The whole system, including but not limited to the "justice" part of it, is rigged. Rigged, rigged, rigged! The richer or more "important" you are, the more likely you are to benefit from the system instead of being punished by it (one way or another).

Shiiiit, I feel like a megaphone on a soapbox spouting the obvious in a preachy way. But hell if all that doesn't need repeating like all the time since a lot of people seem to be living in denial, or worse yet, somehow manage to justify all of it.

In a just world, this guy would've have been punished.

In a truly just world, this shit wouldn't have been allowed to happen in the first place.

[Magus]

The argument for this is really bizarre. It's like an open acknowledgment that the rich get off coming at the worst possible time, by letting a rich guy get off. It would make more sense to say, "The rich often get off, but not this time!" and throw the book at him.

I'm not even sure he needs counseling, or rather why he deserves counseling at a private mental facility instead of whatever counseling every other sex offender gets at a regular prison (probably very little, unfortunately).

[shiney]

He's a DuPont heir; they can't go around letting rich people get beat to death in general pop like the filthy poors.

[Krylo]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else think this thread title would be fantastic for a celebrity sex tape compilation video?

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Magus

The argument for this is really bizarre. It's like an open acknowledgment that the rich get off coming at the worst possible time, by letting a rich guy get off. It would make more sense to say, "The rich often get off, but not this time!" and throw the book at him.

This was exactly my initial reaction, too.

It's really, really weird. Like, surreal-weird.

While I accept that it's true, it's kind of hard to do so.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Krylo

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else think this thread title would be fantastic for a celebrity sex tape compilation video?

This was... actually what I thought it was going to be about, or something, when I first saw the title; but then I thought it might be referencing the old rich kid case, so I checked it out. Nope! An entirely new abuse of justice!

[Tev]

Oh but wait, there's more: Straight from the Tech Industry to you.

RadiumOne CEO Gurbaksh "G" Chahal pled guilty to two misdemeanors for domestic violence and battery last week. The ad-tech executive faced 45 felony charges based on security footage from his San Francisco penthouse apartment, which allegedly showed him hitting and kicking his girlfriend 117 times in half an hour.

Instead of jail time Chahal, who once shared a stage with Oprah, cut a deal for three years probation, 52 weeks in a domestic violence training program, and 25 hours of community service.

[Aerozord]

I dont think this has much to do with wealth. Years ago I learned of a woman that did, what I can only describe as torture, a child for years jailed for less then a year. Our society isn't as strict as it should be about topics of assault and abuse in general

[Tev]

Not according to the rest of the article:

These promising career developments occurred well after Chahal's arrest in August. At the time, the prosecution thought the video handed them an "airtight" conviction, but the San Francisco Chronicle implies that the serial entrepreneur, who sold his previous company to Yahoo for $300 million, bought his way out:

But after Chahal posted $1 million bail and hired attorney James Lassart, the case against him unraveled.

First up, the girlfriend refused to cooperate with the investigation or testify, having hired famed criminal attorney and CNN commentator Mark Geragos to represent her. (Do we hear "big-bucks settlement for not talking"? Geragos didn't return our call, and Lassart's camp is staying tight-lipped.)

But perhaps the biggest blow came when Judge Brendan Conroy ruled that surveillance video from Chahal's bedroom - which reportedly captured the 1 1/2-hour attack - had been seized unlawfully by police. The cops claim they took the video without waiting for a warrant because they feared it might get erased, but the judge didn't buy it.

SFCitizen faults the police and the judge for getting such damning evidence thrown out. Regardless of how Chahal squirmed out of 45 felony convictions, his get out of jail free card looks more like a carte blanche.