Ruinous financial penalties for conspirators

[philly_bob]

My Fitzmas reading is a history of the 15th century Borgias. One of the penalties for failed conspiracies in Italian politics of the time was ruinous confiscations upon the conspirator's family's properties.

Just wondering: what level of civil financial penalty upon Bush-era corporate and family malfeasors would establish once and for all that messing with American democracy doesn't pay?

For instance, suppose media companies that employed people who knowingly participated in the WMD deception (think Fox, New York Times) suddenly faced fines for fraud or class-action suits?

Suppose Halliburton was put into receivership, with all income going into the U.S. Treasury. Ditto Diebold.

Suppose the Bush and Cheney families ...

[kurth]

1. There is no law against felons raking in money on speaking tours

Specifically, Republican felons speaking to their brethren and customers in posh hotel conference rooms.

A few months of this, and voila, the legal defense fund is all paid for - with plenty left over for their family Christmas bank accounts.

[Atman]

2. When Prescott Bush's bank was closed for trading with the Nazi party...

...he was allowed to walk with $1.5 million, no small sum back then. The blood-soaked cash was used to fund his son's run for the Connecticut legislature.

The Bush Crime Family has so many connections dating so far back, and so deep into our "system," that it is unlikely that any of these crooks will be forced to pay back a penny. Crimson cash spends just as good as the green stuff, as far they're concerned. You'd have to feel shame, have a conscience, to care about the origins of your fortunes, and no member of the BFEE has ever exhibited such before. They won't start now.

[leesa]

3. Plus, no one knows the wealth of the Bush Crmie Family because it is

spread all over the world. It would be nice to have Dickless pay back every blood-soaked penny he made in Iraq, Afghanistan and in NOLA. THAT can probably be quantified.

[philly_bob]

4. Okay, this isn't 14th century Italy.

Reality spikes fantasy, once again.

But how about penalties that make shareholders stand up at the annual meeting and say "How could you commit our resources to such a lame-brained and expensive conspiracy?"

Can corporations commit treason?