|
| This article is part of the series:
|
| CoJ Cases
|
|
|
|
|
DB vs Ricco was the twentieth case tried by the Chamber of Justice. The sitting Justicar was Kir Taldrya Katarn, the Left Hand of Justice was Shikyo Keibatsu, and the Right Hand of Justice was Daniel Goad.
Basic Case Information
Defendants Name
Charges
- Cloning
- Violation of Probation
Verdict
Sentence
Case Summary
In 019 DB vs. Ricco, Ricco was found guilty of three counts of cloning, and sentenced by the Chamber of Justice. After the trial, Ricco disappeared, but soon thereafter a new member named "Lostris" joined Ricco's former clan. After a short time, several members complained to the Justicar that "Lostris" acted suspiciously, and after considering this and the circumstances of her joining, the Justicar launched an investigation. The investigation confirmed the clan members suspicions that "Lostris" was actually a new clone of Ricco, and the Chamber charged Ricco with cloning and violating his probation. The defendant did not respond to the charges, thus constituting a refusal to plea and starting an automatic Trial by Justicar. After reviewing the evidence, the Justicar determined that the defendant was guilty. The defendant, after having been found guilty and sentenced in 019 DB vs. Ricco had blatantly violated the Chamber's ruling by immediately creating another clone - the exact crime he had originally been punished for. This warranted a harsh sentence, and the defendant was demoted from Dark Jedi Knight all the way to Apprentice, given another letter of reprimand, and his probation was extended for one year.
Related News Posts
Chamber of Justice Communique #021a
Posted By Kir Taldrya Katarn - 9/15/2007
On this day, September 12, 2007 of the Liberated Brotherhood, I the Justicar of the Brotherhood now announce the punishment that this Chamber lays upon Ricco Vao.
Upon the conclusion of fair and just proceedings, this Chamber finds you:
i) Cloning - You knowingly and willfully created the Dark Jedi Brotherhood persona ""Lostris" and used this unauthorized clone for gain. You have been found GUILTY.
ii) Violation of Probation - You knowingly and willfully violated your probationary term by acting against the Articles of Conduct and Reprimand set forth by the Dark Covenant. You have been found GUILTY.
Sentencing for the party is as follows:
- Demotion from DJK to APP
- Letter of Reprimand
- Probationary Extension
The terms of probation are thus:
- The guilty party may not receive promotion, appointment to position, or any citation or honor of merit without the explicit permission of the Justicar
- End of probation is extended until 2/22/09
Signed and Sealed in Justice,
Dark Jedi Master Kir Taldrya Katarn
Justicar and High Protector of the Dark Brotherhood
Justicar's Opinion
Chamber of Justice Communique #021b
Posted By Kir Taldrya Katarn - 9/15/2007
DB vs Ricco - Justicar's Opinion
The Justicar received the initial complaint from several different members. These members all thought the circumstances regarding the joining of a new member "Lostris" were somewhat odd, and warranted looking into.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that Lostris had joined soon after 019 DB vs Ricco had been completed, and Ricco himself had disappeared. After cross-referencing and researching the IP addresses for both members, it was found they both originate from the same Internet Service Provider, in the same small geographic area of the UK. The chances of this being a coincidence were incredibly low. In addition, the Chamber checked the hostmasks for both Ricco and Lostris, and discovered they matched exactly, many times.
After examining the collected evidence, the Chamber determined there was enough merit to warrant a trial, and charges were brought against the defendant for cloning and violating his probation. The emails were sent to the addresses for both Ricco and "Lostris", yet 48 hours passed with no response from either address. Therefore an automatic plea of "not guilty" was entered, and a Trial by Justicar was initiated. The Justicar consulted the Hands of Justice concerning the details of the case, and it was determined that Ricco was guilty of both charges.
For sentencing, the Chamber both looked to precedent and choose appropriately. In 002 DB vs Mirei, a violation of probation charge led to expulsion, setting the sentencing bar very high. The Chamber thought an expulsion was inappropriate in this case, however the defendant had created a new clone a mere five days after being convicted of cloning and put on probation. This blatant disregard for the Chamber of Justice, Dark Covenant, and the Brotherhood as a whole required severe action. Therefore, Dark Jedi Knight Ricco Vao was demoted to the rank of Apprentice, a second Letter of Reprimand was added to his dossier, and his probation was extended for an additional year.
Points of Interest
As with the previous case, there was not anything of particular interest that originated with this case. It further raised concerns amongst the Brotherhood's leaders that other members may have undiscovered clones and could be using them to gain points for their clans in Brotherhood competitions. This case and 019 DB vs. Ricco led the Justicar to develop the Clone Amnesty/Sweep program to ensure the club was clone-free.