Austin’s Daily Commentary – Augusta National Thief’s Minimal Jail Time

Austin: It was one of the most frequently asked questions from our out-of-town masters visitors this past week, particularly those that are out of town in the press corps. How in the world did the infamous Augusta National Thief, the one who stole so much memorabilia and merchandise, get so little jail time?

Thirteen years he spent stealing millions of dollars worth of merchandise, they probably have no earthly idea what the true amount was, and he gets just a year in federal prison. How in the world does it happen? 

Well, a little deep dive into the case indicates that the individual in question apparently was helping the feds nail other bad guys. Now, I'm not quite sure who he's nailing and what kind of jail time they'll get, but wow, what a terrible example. Thirteen years of living with excess money in the millions of dollars, no way that you'll ever be able to pay back all that by the way. And you only get a year in jail? That's awful.

That's a terrible, terrible message to send to prospective crooks everywhere. Listen to the story that Gale and John were sharing with you a little earlier this morning. A church financial officer steals over $4 million over four years, and my goodness gracious, you've got to be kidding me, this lady is going to be facing, I bet, less than two years jail time when all is said and done.

You've got to make the time that you serve in jail at least reflect the amount of time that you put into the criminal endeavor itself. No other way to do it, no other way to handle it. We've got to jump up our game here. We've got to be far more aggressive with career criminals and their activities, and if not, we're going to be overrun with them, no doubt. That's the comment. I'm Austin Rhodes, 95.1 FM News Talk, WGAC.