Dutch Police busted a large group of people running the Nigerian scam.
http://www.wired.com/news/ebiz/0,1272,6212...tw=wn_tophead_5
"Six people, three from Nigeria and three from Benin, were convicted in a similar case in Amsterdam in May, receiving sentences of up to 4.5 years. They had defrauded victims for several million dollars, including a Swiss professor who lost $482,000 after being promised 25 percent of a $36 million sum."
Thats what i dont get about financial crimes vs. violent crimes. I can rob a bank and serve 20 years because... well... thats a "serious crime". On the other hand, i can fuck people out of $20,000,000.00 and pay a fine and probably get probation.
For a guy from Nigeria... a couple million dollars in exchange for 4 years in prison in Europe would probably be the offer of a lifetime. I bet if you placed ads in Nigerian classifies you would be overwhelmed with responses.
assume that you could walk away from all your business for any length of time and revenues/income would stay exactly the same for the time you are away...
Would you go to prison for say... $5,000,000.00?
For how long?
You can't say no because we both know you would do a week for $5,000,000.00 - so the only real issue is how much time you would trade.
I think 1 year would be an ok trade off for $5,000,000.00 myself. Especially since it would be some minimum security place where you just jerked off, lifted weights, watched cable TV and made crappy toys in the wood shop all day.