The Celebrities and Wealthy Who Got Away Lightly With Their Crimes
One rule for them, another for us.
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The phrase “too rich to jail” is being bandied around more these days, since white-collar crime numbers have begun to rise. According to The New Republic, there’s not been a better time to take up a career in fraud and corruption. Numerous celebrities and affluent members of society have got away with some serious and stupid crimes over the years and have received very little punishment.
Felicity Huffman
Best known for her role in Desperate Housewives, Huffman was charged by the FBI and Attorney’s Office for her involvement in the college entrance exam scandal. The actress paid $15,000 for her daughter’s SAT exam to be taken by someone else to ensure her better grades to get into Carnegie Mellon University’s theatre course.
She was released on $250,000 bail and appeared in court in March 2019 where she pleaded guilty to fraud. She was fined $30,000, given 250 hours of community service and spent just 11 days in jail for her crimes.
Robert H. Richards IV
Richards who’s the heir to the du Pont family’s estimated $14 billion, was arrested in 2009 for repeatedly sexually assaulting his three-year-old daughter. The billionaire offered to take a polygraph test to clear his name but he failed the exam and eventually confessed to the charges.
He should have received a sentence of potentially 30 years in prison, but his lawyers were able to change the charge to fourth-degree rape, and he was given eight years in prison. However, the court believed he wouldn’t “fare well” in prison, so his sentence was suspended and he was freed on probation.
In 2014, Richard’s ex-wife sued him for damages after claiming that he’d also been assaulting their son. The case was settled confidentially.
Lil Wayne
The rapper has a long arrest record and has been in trouble with the law on numerous occasions.
