This doesn't surprise me in the least. Crooks learn how to screw people any way they can and even with proof of fraud or theft or wrongdoing, judges rule in their favor. I've taken one person to court - I helped uncover that she and her boyfriend/husband stole over $2.2 million from around 200 people in car deals. She and her lawyer went into the judges quarters for 45 minutes before our trial. The judge lied to me when I asked him a question (small claims court) and then he ruled in her favor. The boyfriend/husband was the only one penalized at all. The state gave him plenty of warning to hide the money and flee the state. He was found across the country swindling someone else. They sentenced him to less than 3 years for his crimes against the 200 of us. They seized just over $2000.
The state sued him in civil court and was awarded over $18 million in civil penalties. My late husband was one of the people specifically named in that suit and several hundred thousand was awarded in his name. Sounds great except in North Carolina all money for civil penalties goes into a general fund for fraud victims and lawyers. One guess in who gets paid first. The rest is supposed to go to fraud victims. There are a lot of victims since the great state also just watches criminals for three years as they swindle well over 100 people. That was what they did in our case - they caught wind of the scam with only a couple dozens victims and then watched as way more than 100 get swindled over 3 more years. I'm convinced that they only did something because 2 of us start collecting our own evidence. I put together a spreadsheet with over 110 victims - their car information, who they dealt with, what accounts they gave money too, etc. A local news station finally did a story on it and then the AG finally acted. That AG is the NC governor now.
Moral of the story is to trust that no one is looking out for you and right and wrong means nothing. Our government sure as hell isn't here to help. 2 1/2 years until my escape.
