[cuban leaf]

Can someone somehow explain the legal reasoning behind this. How this critter is not guilty of stealing someones SS number? Thanks!
I just cannot see it!

---

I can explain it.

Imagine you go to a foreign country and want to work. So some local gives you an “ID” that he says will allow you to get a job. You have no idea that it is stolen and the laws are confusing, but a guy gave you some “bogus” papers to allow you to work.

Except it turns out they are not bogus, but stolen.

You may be guilty of working via papers you knew were not legitimate, but that is different than working with papers that are stolen.

The cool thing about the law is that it is quite black and white. If the court can not prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the guy KNEW the papers that someone else gave him were stolen, he is not guilty.

It is literally that simple and why this was a unanimous decision.

[dennisw]

You are wrong. Check out that in 2006 he bought a fake ID...a stolen ID or a whatever ID. Why would he pay money for a crappy ID?

"Flores-Figueroa claims he is not at fault because he “had no intention of stealing anyone’s identity” when he purchased numbers from a person in Chicago who sells sham IDs."

This is total BS and a lie. For all we know the two had a conversation where the illegal alien was told --- "This is a very good clean stolen ID"

[dfwgator]

Think I’ll use that excuse when the IRS comes to my door and says I didn’t pay my taxes.

“Hey some guy told me I didn’t have to pay my taxes, he seemed legit to me.”