Federal Judiciary

Real-Life Grinch Gets Hard Time for Ruining Kids? Christmas

By Robert Loblaw

U.S. v. Ellisor, 05-14459 (11^th Cir., April 7, 2008)

This Eleventh Circuit appeal involves a criminal defendant who concocted a fake Christmas field trip for elementary school students. From the opinion:

Excited about the opportunity for their students to attend what the invitation materials described as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to meet 28 foreign ambassadors, view Christmas trees decorated with ornaments from other countries and cultural art exhibits, and receive thousands of dollars? worth of sponsored gifts, teachers from approximately 23 schools filled out registration forms reserving tickets for students ranging from the third to the fifth grade.

On . . . the first day scheduled for the Christmas show, [the defendant] wrote and cashed a check to himself . . . . He then purchased a Jaguar 393. At about the same time, the students, teachers, and chaperones who had purchased tickets for the Christmas show were on their way by bus to the convention center. They found it locked and empty.

Doesn’t it just break your heart? 

In all, 2,700 young ticketholders were deprived of their Christmas field trip. The FBI got involved, and the defendant was convicted of mail fraud charges. Today the Eleventh Circuit affirms his conviction, as well as his eighty-seven month sentence and a restitution order of $38,509.

Full post as published by Decision of the Day on April 07, 2008 (boomark / email).