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Thanks. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, so a full-time worker at minimum wage would earn about $15,000. Presumably a customs worker earns more than minimum wage: let’s assume twice the minimum. Thus, 10 years in jail would represent the loss of $300K in income for such an individual. But most people also value their freedom, so let’s suppose each hour’s loss of freedom alone (leaving aside any earnings potential) is equivalent in value to the minimum wage. In that case, 10 years loss of freedom’ is worth another $150K.

So this custom worker is trading a $27K gain against a $650K loss ($250K fine plus $300K lost earnings plus $150 loss in freedom). Unless his chances of getting caught were less than 4.2%, it would be irrational to try this stunt. It would be obvious at a public auction that what was being sold was a public document. Did this guy really think that chances were less than 4.2% that someone at the auction wouldn’t recognize this and blow the whistle on him?

In this Obama economy, desperation perhaps knows no bounds. But here’s a guy who still had a job—a government job at that (i.e., one from which it would be extremely hard to be fired except for gross incompetence or criminal activity). But perhaps it is naive of me to be surprised at the stupidity of some federal workers.