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malicious mischief and sentenced to nine months in jail. Both Eric Sturgis and Michelle Murray entered pleas to charges of first-degree theft and malicious mischief, each receiving six months in jail.256 News reports questioned why these vipers were not charged with the additional charge of obstructing a public servant or even insurance fraud, both of which carry harsher penalties. One news report, responding to the plea-bargains of lesser charges, stated
It’s one thing to spare the public the expense of trial. But the hoax upon the public was so egregious and so damaging to the law-abiding gay community that the most serious charges possible should have been pursued; continuing that - this is no ordinary case of insurance fraud.257
What made the “punishment” seem too lenient was that all but one month of it would be served in home detention with community service. The judge said the sentence would allow Ms. Murray “to continue her studies at Tacoma Community College and remain in counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, suffered as a result of being robbed at gunpoint a year ago while she worked as a gas-station clerk.”258 Finally, in a separate hearing the trio were ordered to pay restitution to the homeowner and landlord, and the insurance company more than thirty thousand dollars.259
In a separate twist to this outrageous story, Eric Sturgis and Lee Brovold filed a lawsuit against Laurie Jinkins an Assistant Attorney General for the state. The suit
256 A Newton plea indicates they did not admit guilt but agreed a jury would likely convict them.
257 Anon, “Faked Hate Crime Deserves Stiff Penalty,” The New Tribune, November 11, 1994, p. A. 14.
258 Interestingly, Ms. Murray had hoped to one day become a criminal prosecutor. Marchionni, Doreen, “Woman Gets 6-Month Term for Role in Faked Hate Crime,” The News Tribune, January 13, 1995, p. B. 4.
259 John Gillie, “Pair Who Faked Hate Crime Sue State Lawyer/Gay Men Say Assistant Attorney General, Who Also is Gay, ‘Viciously’ Threatened Them,” The News Tribune, February 2, 1995,
p. B.1.
Object Description
| Title | An argument for the criminal hoax |
| Author | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Author email | user1963@yahoo.com; teachpolsci@yahoo.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Political Science |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-08-20 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-13 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Renteln, Alison Dundes |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Wong, Janelle S. Newland, Chester A. |
| Abstract | Hoaxes are part of the fabric of history. While many provide humor and lighthearted joy, the criminal hoax does not. To date, researchers have included aspects of the criminal hoax in larger academic works. This is an original typology that sets forth the criminal hoax as a distinct part of the larger field of law and public policy. This work provides newly created definitions including four distinct categories of hoaxes: the monetary hoax, the attention getter hoax, the hate crime hoax and the racial hoax. It further illustrates these types with actual detailed accounts of hoaxes and provides insights to each one. It makes policy recommendations concerning the four categories of needs: 1. legislative action, 2. a nationwide statistical database of hoax events, 3. media involvement, and 4. law enforcement training and action to deal with criminal hoaxes. Finally, it recommends further research to identify the causes and motivations of vipers. The ultimate goal of this project is to find ways to eliminate criminal hoaxes. |
| Keyword | criminal hoax; hoax categories |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1659 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Pellegrini-2397 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Pellegrini-2397.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 95 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 89 malicious mischief and sentenced to nine months in jail. Both Eric Sturgis and Michelle Murray entered pleas to charges of first-degree theft and malicious mischief, each receiving six months in jail.256 News reports questioned why these vipers were not charged with the additional charge of obstructing a public servant or even insurance fraud, both of which carry harsher penalties. One news report, responding to the plea-bargains of lesser charges, stated It’s one thing to spare the public the expense of trial. But the hoax upon the public was so egregious and so damaging to the law-abiding gay community that the most serious charges possible should have been pursued; continuing that - this is no ordinary case of insurance fraud.257 What made the “punishment” seem too lenient was that all but one month of it would be served in home detention with community service. The judge said the sentence would allow Ms. Murray “to continue her studies at Tacoma Community College and remain in counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, suffered as a result of being robbed at gunpoint a year ago while she worked as a gas-station clerk.”258 Finally, in a separate hearing the trio were ordered to pay restitution to the homeowner and landlord, and the insurance company more than thirty thousand dollars.259 In a separate twist to this outrageous story, Eric Sturgis and Lee Brovold filed a lawsuit against Laurie Jinkins an Assistant Attorney General for the state. The suit 256 A Newton plea indicates they did not admit guilt but agreed a jury would likely convict them. 257 Anon, “Faked Hate Crime Deserves Stiff Penalty,” The New Tribune, November 11, 1994, p. A. 14. 258 Interestingly, Ms. Murray had hoped to one day become a criminal prosecutor. Marchionni, Doreen, “Woman Gets 6-Month Term for Role in Faked Hate Crime,” The News Tribune, January 13, 1995, p. B. 4. 259 John Gillie, “Pair Who Faked Hate Crime Sue State Lawyer/Gay Men Say Assistant Attorney General, Who Also is Gay, ‘Viciously’ Threatened Them,” The News Tribune, February 2, 1995, p. B.1. |
