A jury condemned for theft… and pays his fine

QMI agency

Sunday, December 17, 2017 12:18

UPDATE
Sunday, December 17, 2017 12:21

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FAIRFAX | A young woman of 19 years old convicted of theft was entitled to a gesture of clemency unusual, then, that the jury which was ordered was also acquitted of the fine.

Sandra Mendez Ortega, an immigrant unlawfully in the United States who is currently pregnant with her second child, had captured three rings worth $ 5,000 in the home of one of her clients, where she was the household. She had admitted the theft to the police after being questioned regarding the disappearance of jewelry, reported the “Washington Post”.

In front of the evidence, the jury had no other choice than to condemn, to inflict a fine of $ 60, the equivalent of a full day’s wage. However, the jury, moved by her story, has not taken this decision lightly. “The general feeling is that she is also a victim. Two of the women jurors were crying so much they felt bad,” said Jeffery Memmott, a member of the jury, after the conviction Friday.

The members of the jury felt so distraught by the decision they had to make that they have organised a collection among themselves, raising as well 80 $ they have given to Mrs. Ortega.

The victim of the theft, Lisa Copeland, rose up against the verdict and against the collection of funds, claiming that his housekeeper had never excused. “I was outraged and stunned. I do not believe that a fine of $ 60 is sufficient for his crime, denounced Ms. Ortega in an interview with “the Post”. She has admitted her crime and they don’t want to condemn her. I do not understand. It is as if they say that it is okay to steal.”