Mark Schifter To Be Sentenced Today

[Jed M]

I would guess that with jails always notoriously being overcrowded he will probably serve 6-8 months as long as he stays out of trouble. Maybe his kind of crime warrants less consideration for early release, but it seems most jail sentences are reduced.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Seems like a well thought out and rational judgement imo.

 

[droht]

Chu, I know lots of folks have done a lot to bring this to fruition, but I believe that you have been the proverbial straw that stirred the drink all the way through. You have taken abuse from many places, and continued to pursue a just outcome. Thank you for all your efforts.

 

[MatthewB.]

Chui Gai, I mentioned to you over at the AVS thread, you deserve a heartfelt thanks for your hard work, dedication and detective work on all this. Thanks again.

 

[Hugh-Melody]

Do you think HE got the guts to look me in the eyes?

...So Hugh, if you plan on visiting him when you attend the RMAF, weekends sound good. Just call the jail and get the particulars...

 

[Chu Gai]

Do you think HE got the guts to look me in the eyes?

My guess is that he'd be informed of who wants to see him and if he didn't want to see you he wouldn't have to come out. But these are questions that you can probably get answered by calling the jail...err...relaxation spa.

 

[Chu Gai]

Seems like a well thought out and rational judgement imo.

Me too. There's a part of me that wanted a couple of years in prison where he could try and see if he could pull the same con job on the inmates. I had thoughts of him getting corn-holed and being somebody's prison *****. But, he's 54 years old and he's got restitution. So best he start restituting ASAP.

 

[cschang]

I would guess that with jails always notoriously being overcrowded he will probably serve 6-8 months as long as he stays out of trouble. Maybe his kind of crime warrants less consideration for early release, but it seems most jail sentences are reduced.

I just got home after having dinner with friends and looked for this.

After reading through it, I also think it was well thought out, but I echo Jed's thought above. I hope 6-8 months is not all he ends up serving on the work release.

The report of what was read in court is very interesting. I would have liked to have been there to listen and see the look on MLS's face, and wonder if he is truly remorseful.

Chu, as others have, I commend you.

 

[Jed M]

and wonder if he is truly remorseful.

I can assure you that MLS feels very bad...







for MLS.

 

[MinusTheBear]

After the sentencing he was taken there and is where he is at this moment. You should be able to go to the Boulder County Sheriff's webpage and look up the daily booking report tomorrow and see his name.

Daily booking report.

http://www.bouldercounty.org/sheriff/jail/daily_booking_report/viewfile.asp?fileid=1439

 

[Stereodude]

Daily booking report.

http://www.bouldercounty.org/sheriff/jail/daily_booking_report/viewfile.asp?fileid=1439

Not sure what it means, but

SCHIFTER,MARK LAWRENCE Booking #: 1008506 Booking Date: 10/08/2010 19:46 Location: BJ INT
DOB: 05/29/1956 Race: W Sex: M
Case No: 10CR527 Arresting Agency: BOULDER COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
Charge Information: 18-4-401(2)(D). THEFT $20,000 OR MOR Arrest Date: 10/08/2010
Charge Information: 6-16-111(1)(A) CHARITABLE FRAUD-ACT Arrest Date: 10/08/2010

 

[TLS Guy]

Daily booking report.

http://www.bouldercounty.org/sheriff/jail/daily_booking_report/viewfile.asp?fileid=1439

SCHIFTER,MARK LAWRENCE Booking #: 1008506 Booking Date: 10/08/2010 19:46 Location: BJ INT
DOB: 05/29/1956 Race: W Sex: M
Case No: 10CR527 Arresting Agency: BOULDER COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
Charge Information: 18-4-401(2)(D). THEFT $20,000 OR MOR Arrest Date: 10/08/2010
Charge Information: 6-16-111(1)(A) CHARITABLE FRAUD-ACT Arrest Date: 10/08/2010

That's very sad. Obviously in many ways a talented chap, but in the end he did not make a "mistake". He deliberated acted against the interest of his customers defrauding them and breaking the law. Now he is a convicted felon, age 55. At that age a big hole to dig out from.

Unfortunately these days I fear he has lots of company, especially in the property arena.

I think this has badly affected our audio community, as we have been blessed with a level of trust from on to another, not enjoyed in many other endeavors for some time.

Whether we want to admit it or not, this has changed out hobby, and we are all on heightened guard from now on. That's a theft that that has no dollar sign.

 

[Jon Lane]

I think this has badly affected our audio community, as we have been blessed with a level of trust from on to another, not enjoyed in many other endeavors for some time.

Whether we want to admit it or not, this has changed out hobby, and we are all on heightened guard from now on. That's a theft that that has no dollar sign.

That's about as succinct a final analysis as can be made. Thank you.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Now during a work release, when it comes to the community service aspect is it at the choice of the individual or that of the state, or a matter of both?

This type of community service would be appointed by the state I assume and would count towards such hours?

As for finding a job and with unemployment, regular folks have a hard time getting jobs, how would the prison system expect a recent felon to find meaningful employment with a criminal record in a timely fashion? There has to be some type of government program for this? Hopefully someone can chime in.

These are interesting questions. I hope he can find a job right away. It seems the judge put the victims at the forefront in getting whats owed to them and rightfully so.

 

[Harmon]

Leaving emotion out of it for a moment because I have mixed emotions about the whole situation ...

I agree that the sentence was well thought out to effect the twin goals of punishment and restitution. I would not describe the sentence as lenient in any way. I also don't think it is overly harsh, but somewhere in the middle perhaps leaning towards the firmer side.

I think it would have been less, perhaps straight probation, had the theft not involved charitable contributions, been a relatively large amount, and affected so many people. I can best describe the sentence as firm, but fair.

One of our judges here recently sentenced a child rapist to 6 years in prison. I can't post what I think of that sentence without violating the forum's rules of etiquette.

As for how much 2 years actually equates to in Colorado I cannot answer that, however, in my state of Oklahoma the "community sentencing" options often are actually day-for-day sentences as opposed to prison sentences which are no where close to day-for-day (except for violent and sex crimes which require 85% of the sentence to be served). That may or may not be the case in Colorado.

My state is arguably the most conservative state in the country, has one of our nation's highest incarceration rates and most active death chambers, but even here on a prison sentence for a non-violent financial crime I wouldn't expect the defendant to serve more than 6-9 months max on a 2 year prison sentence. That's if the Department of Corrections didn't slap a GPS ankle bracelet on them and call them an "inmate".

I once tried and convicted a man for using a stolen credit card to order merchandise. The jury gave him 3 years in prison. About a year later I was prosecuting him again because he was working at a local convenience store with a GPS ankle bracelet when an out-of-state motorist left their wallet at the c-store. Of course he stole their credit cards and used them at the local Wal-Mart. At least this time it was easy to track his location while he was using the stolen credit cards.

 

[drab]

Harmon, is it common where you are to have a 20 year probation? I realize it varies state to state but I don't recall ever seeing that before.

 

[mhawker]

Movie suggestion

Just watched Solitary Man with Michael Douglas. There were more than a few times during the movie my wife and I looked at each other and said, "Schifter".

 

[thenatinator]

Damn and I was waiting for advise about consumer electronics and passionate persutes about life..
http://markschifter.com/
Somebody please comment that sucker up.
Also interesting:
http://www.bouldercounty.org/sheriff/jail/alt_sent.htm

 

[washburn]

What a saga...i still remember the day I joined av123 forum, with my little Onkyo mini system as my sole audio equipment...gained so much knowledge, and a few friends after that over the years...the audio system has grown into bigger things...Music Hall..Parasound, Onix Ref-1s....wrote many, many long reviews on amps, DACs, etc etc...

I am sad all those reviews and posts vanished with av123 forum... and feel quite a bit of anger towards all the crap that MLS created...

...but compared to the sadness and anger all the people feel who were victims of his shameless acts, I am sure my reasons are almost a joke...

I sure miss the days where I was posting and writing reviews and enjoying the good a/c chit chats at on av123 forum...

 

[TLS Guy]

What a saga...i still remember the day I joined av123 forum, with my little Onkyo mini system as my sole audio equipment...gained so much knowledge, and a few friends after that over the years...the audio system has grown into bigger things...Music Hall..Parasound, Onix Ref-1s....wrote many, many long reviews on amps, DACs, etc etc...

I am sad all those reviews and posts vanished with av123 forum... and feel quite a bit of anger towards all the crap that MLS created...

...but compared to the sadness and anger all the people feel who were victims of his shameless acts, I am sure my reasons are almost a joke...

I sure miss the days where I was posting and writing reviews and enjoying the good a/c chit chats at on av123 forum...

Well you can chit chat here and we ban those who don't fulfill their contracts in a timely manner. I think you can see the wisdom now in a certain moderators controversial decision at the time. In hind sight now, may be no longer controversial, at least I would hope not.