So stealing over $100,000 is a civil matter huh Mr. Prosecutor?

Today's post is going to be a bit short, but nonetheless, we have an important update.  Does everyone remember several months back where we discussed how a shyster ripped off a group of people in excess of $100,000 on a phony discounted cruise deal?  From the post back in September, 2009...

"I booked a cruise for my family which would have cost nearly $12,000 all for the paltry sum of $5,000, what a deal! It seemed like the more people I asked in my group of friends, the more people had given this travel agent money! In some instances we were even going to be on the same cruises! With the dates booked, we anxiously awaited our confirmation and reservation information, first she explained there was some delays, then as we drew within a week from the sailing date still no confirmation, she assured us that everything would be alright though. Now we were two days before the date the ship was supposed to sail and STILL NOTHING! One day before the trip was to start, STILL NOTHING and now we couldn't get the travel agent (at least the woman that was posing as the travel agent) on the phone. At this point we had given up and figured we got screwed. "

So we went down to the State Attorneys Office...

After hearing our story, what do you think the ASA's conclusion was? An investigation? A call to the MDPD to go pick the woman up? An immediate arrest affidavit? NOPE! After all this, the best the ASA could do was to tell the attorney that there was nothing that he could do and in fact this was a CIVIL MATTER! WTF?!

That's right, the ASA from the Economic Crimes department of the SAO basically told us to pound sand.  We left our readers to figure out who that ASA was, did anyone figure it out?  Who was this ASA that told us that the theft of over $100,000 was a civil matter and that there was nothing he could do about it?  The ASA that told us that was none other than...

William J. Kostrzewski!

You got it, the ASA that refused to prosecute this charlatan was the same attorney that bungled up the Bernardo Barrera mortgage fraud investigation and prosecution.  Incredible huh?  Who knew back then that our paths would be so inexorably intertwined just a short time later.  

So whats the big deal?  We didn't let Mr. Kostrzewski's lack of initiative dissuade us from going after this bitch who made away with our hard earned money, we kept at it by going to the FBI.  Things moved slowly, but we were told yesterday that the AUSA involved in the case is about to indict the woman.  Incredible!  How could Mr. Kostrzewski have concluded that there was no criminal case yet the feds were able to make one?

The lesson here is a simple one and one that we'll be following, when law enforcement and prosecutors at the state level refuse to act on an injustice as egregious as this (or a handful of others that come to mind during the course of our blog), forget dealing with them and go directly to the feds.  

Happy St. Patrick's day folks!