Legal Commentary

TX Judge Imposes Six Years of Shaming Punishment

By Jeralyn

Only in Texas? Or just more proof probation is no walk in the park? Daniel Mirales and his wife Eloise stole from a crime victims fund. She was a 16 year employee of the District Attorney's office. Is this shaming punishment really going to make a difference? And to whom besides the Mireles?

Daniel Mireles walked back and forth on Westheimer in front of the Galleria holding a sign. It read, "I am a thief. I stole $250,000 from the Harris County crime victim's fund. Daniel Mireles."

Mirales will have to do this for five hours every weekend for the next six years. (The spot is outside the Galleria mall in Houston.) This was his first weekend.[More...]

In addition, Mirales must spend six months, one month at a time, in the Harris County Jail. His wife, who was the public employee and creator of the theft scheme, has to spend six months in the Texas Department of Corrections, then six months, one at a time, in the Harris County Jail, and then, do the same shame walk for six years. In addition,

...they have to post a sign in front of their house that says, "The occupants of this residence, Daniel and Eloise Mireles, are convicted thieves."

They also have to do 400 and 600 hours of community service.

She must pick up trash and he may pick up trash, clean graffiti or wire homes for Habitat for Humanity. Daniel Mireles had been employed as a cable television technician.

The prosecutor says he'll do random drive-bys of the shaming scene to make sure they aren't shirking their obligation.

This is all part of a sentence to probation.

If they violate the terms of the punishment, they face ten years in prison. I wonder if one can panhandle while the other does the shame walk, or whether that would be a violation? The authorities already took everything in their home that was purchased with the stolen funds (if not the home itself, which had been landscaped with proceeds from the theft) and they also have to repay $232,000 in restitution.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 11, 2010 (boomark / email).