Kristofir Fraud - Guilty

Lawsuit between Kristofir and Somerset

Bill of indictment

Quote :

It is alleged that on the 3rd of December 1454, Kristofir opened the tavern called "Monster" in Bridgewater. It is alleged that Kristofir committed the crime of fraud as stated by our King, LongJohnSilver on the 2nd of December. The law can be read as follow:

Fraud
Any swindler who will dare to use his/her gifts of smooth talking to sell any product at an indecent price to the poor or innocent will have to answer to fraud in front of a competent court with jurisdiction. He/she will be subjected to a heavy fine, in terms of money and reputation points. Any repetition will be punished with a sentence of imprisonment, the length of which will depend on the extorted sum.
http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=25520

It is alleged that Kristofir pretended to be doing charity by selling cheaper bread in his taverns but the evidence shows that he sells "a plate of nothing" for 5 pounds. Thus this should be considered as a fraud against innocent newcomers to the town as they wouldn’t know their hunger wont be appeased when they buy that menu item with their money.
The evidence can be seen here:
https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/img206/8241/kristofirwd4.th.jpg
We have another evidence posted by Cairistiona who was present in the tavern when Kristofir explained his activities for her and someone else.
This evidence can be seen here:
http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=23196&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

Kristofir can choose to defend himself, or seek legal assistance if necessary.

First defence pleading

Quote :

I defend my innocence, for the visitor is consciously aware that he or she is receiving a plate full of nothing.

I am not responsible if he or she cannot read. It says "Plate full of nothing". There was no tag ( ) after those four words. They made a conscious decision to pay five pounds in return for no food. I was never in the tavern deluding anyone, whilst others spread rumors that damage my reputation.

I ask myself, "Why am I literally being accused for the people's inability to comprehend what they read?"

Prosecutor indictment

Quote :

Your Honor,

We hear the defence of Kristofir and we listen to two trustworthy testimonies by citizens who have no prior dealings with the defendant.
The defendant faults people for their inability to understand what he offer in his menu.
The witnesses pointed very clearly that the defendant is well aware of what he is doing and that he has no intention to do charity but to gain monies through unscrupulous means.
I call your Honour's attention to the fact that Kristofir never showed a report of his charity actions or give us any evidence and proof that he is really using the money he received from the plate "Full of Nothing" for charity.

I recommend he to be fined by the maximum allowed by the law and to choose one of the two choices: to be obligated to change the menu to sell food items or to close down his chain of taverns in all Somerset, within one week from the date of sentence.

Last defence pleading

Quote :

A fundraiser report: http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=21498

The charity was originally meant to be brief, but now has been extended: http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=21342 The post shows the a gathering event, where contributions were encouraged.

In addition to my recent intentions of helping the poor, I've posted a brief "diet" guide: http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?p=395539#395539 to encourage beginners to eat every other day to save some money.

In response to Charles_Darwin's post: I posted the charity topic in the Somerset forum, but I was not aware of Charles_darwin's criticism at the time, for I did not check the town forums of Bath and Bridgewater.

5 pound options are convenient to donors, who desire to help the community but not at a great expense. By offering the 5 pound option, people can choose to donate 5 pounds occasionally without making a major dent in their pockets.

I cannot change the text, Plate full of... nothing. It is impossible: Labels for empty plates are strictly "Plate full of... nothing".

The defence called Poliphilus

Quote :

Your Honor,

I m here to testify what I know about the defendant’s activity and personality, as well as my perception of the applicable law.
I will set aside the big issue of the validity of a law of the King that hasn’t been properly published.( Are people obliged to read the English/French translation thread?) I will equally set aside the fact that the King’s law provision contradicts the properly enacted laws of Somerset under which, only specific forms of fraud are punishable. And I will do that ,Your Honor, because the real issue here is not whether Kristofir will be punished or not. The real issue here is whether a decent man caring about his fellow citizens’ needs, can be called a swindler. And there is no greater shame on those who never spared a penny or a minute of their time to help anyone than discrediting a businessman’s effort to contribute in the society.
Kristofir has lived in Chard, long before I was born. And I came to know him when I and other citizens of Chard had to demonstrate for bread. It was back then that Kristofir started his charity, of which every citizen of Chard that reads our forum knows of. http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=21603 I am a politician, Your Honor. I don’t believe that individual charity is enough to solve the problems of poor men and women. But when we politicians fail, or aren’t interested at all in people’ s needs then it’s men like Kristofir that come forward and put their money and efforts in the service of the less fortunate. I personally advised poor 0 level players to eat Kristofir’s cheap bread and received letters from them confirming that cheap bread was actually there. Off course his taverns cannot be always restocked since Kristofir’s assets depend solely on donations. Donations on behalf of the poor, that I can imagine being reduced after this defamatory campaign against him was launched. I personally have seen Kristofir spending the whole day in his tavern in Chard trying to prevent the cheap bread being consumed by rich people. This may seem odd to you Your Honor, but in my eyes it proves only two things: 1 The tavern was really stocked with cheap bread 2. Cheap bread was destined to the poor.
I wonder if Kristofir had to defend himself in his own tavern before Cairistiona and state what everybody being in Chard for a while knows. I wonder if not doing so makes him a swindler. I wonder if Kristofer has to prove the evident everyday in the forums too while he has put a clear sign on his taverns stating bluntly what the full of nothing plate is all about. I wonder if our “perfect” society doesn’t need charity after all…

The defence called Teagan

Quote :

Kristofir has long operated a tavern in chard. He was doing so many months before he operated a tavern in Bridgewater. If people want to donate then they do so, if they don‘t then so be it. He even posted months ago in the forum about it.

All I see is jealousy – one of the seven deadly sins.

Kristofir has done no wrong.

On the law:

The law that myrnia has referred to is not the law of somerset. While I may suffer from rasputin like qualities on occasion, I do not think this spans 9 years
The law she refers to is from a translation which quotes the year as being 1463. The same day our regent has done a proclamation based on a year of 1454.

The law Myrnia refers to has never been passed by the somerset council – there is no link to it in game. This case should be dismissed.

I have more to say on this matter, but I hope the PP will let it die. Kristofir has done no wrong. Otherwise every noobie whom buys a knife or a ball of wool before they read the forum or receive a mentor message would be able to prosecute. There is a well known saying of caveat emptor. Or buyer beware. You get what you pay for – if it says a plate of nothing and you get nothing then don’t expect to sue someone for it.

As a baker, I have seen Kris buy my bread and restock his tavern, Kristofir is a good man at heart – he was once the deacon in Chard

The prosecutor called Cairistiona

Quote :

On November the 28 I was in a tavern in Chard with two other people when Kristofir entered. During the conversation the topic turned to the Monster taverns and IL Corporation. There was no mention of charity during the whole conversation. He did however state that the purpose of the “plate of nothing” was to allow customers in towns where a Monster tavern was located to wire money to him. When asked what the customers were paying for he said it was for services: espionage services, military supply services, and also selling town maps. I found the statements odd and sent a copy of the conversation to a more experienced friend. We did not know quite what to think of it at the time. Upon hearing of the accusations against Kristofir I provided the exact transcript of the conversation.

The prosecutor called Charles_darwin

Quote :

The alleged illicit tavern "Monster" in Bridgewater was set up on the 3rd of December 1454.

I was in Chard on the 4th Dec and found that Kristofir is also running a similar dubious operation there. Upon my return to Bridgewater (5th Dec), I found both menu items in "Monster" to be selling "a plate full... of nothing" for 5 POUNDS! The description on the tavern was <This is not your average tavern.... Release the "Monster" within>. I decided on the same day to report this fraudulent establishment to the authorities.

Coincidentally, on the same day, Kristofir spun a cover-up story of "charitable" intentions on the forum (http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=25754) only AFTER he knew of my intention to report the crime, through the ex-mayor Teagan of Chard. Whom I have told I would get to the bottom of the matter a day earlier. This is evident by the time lag between the opening of "Monster" on 3rd Dec to his explanation of "charity" intentions on the 5th Dec.

Further evidence of his scramble to cover up his misdeed was: after being cornered at the forum about his true intentions, Kristofir returned to Bridgewater on the 6th Dec to change one of the menu items to "subsidized bread" and altered the description to <If youre poor: Eat 5 pound bread.
If youre rich/middle class: Donate 5 pounds> so as to fit his cover-up story he has given in the forum. He only offered a few cheap bread on one day, far less than his charitable claims. The tavern has never been restocked since.

It is as clear as a sunny day in Bridgewater that Kristofir has never intended this tavern to be a charity. More evidence of his malevolent intent has been proven by the afore witness account.

If this fraudulent tavern is allowed to continue its existence, I fear our newborns, new landowners or even visitors will be ensnarled by Kristofir's trap.

On the forum, Kristofir's argued that the trap itself has been rightly labeled, and therefore, is legal. This is an utter abhorrence to our legal corpus . This is an insult to our society and the sacred court of our county, to have claim legality for a criminal act. Just as a gang of bandits who warned of their impending robbery acts at certain road, does not absolve them of their future crime or give them any right to claim legal immunity. The past convictions of Dark Devil proofs my point.

A typical honest tavern operator generally makes very little profit (£0.05), if any, from each item sold. However, through fraud, an unfortunate new citizen who couldn't see through Kristofir's trick would suffer £5.00 FULL POUNDS to the loot of Kristofir. Also, please note Kristofir's play of words on his menu: "a plate FULL... of nothing". He did not list it plainly as "a plate of nothing". It is a purposeful act devised to trap unwary people while thinking he could escape justice with it.

There are other legal ways of asking/receiving charity. One, is provided near the church, where a person can either donate or beg for charity. The other, more transparent way, would be selling on tavern menu, tangible items, for instance a piece of meat meal at 30 pounds. Of course, Kristofir would not do that. His goal was to attract people to fall into his trap by using the mirage of lowly-priced --- £5.00 --- meals.

Your Honour, I have given all related evidence in my possession as well as my observations. This is all I have to say. Thank you.

Statement of accusation
The defendant has been proved guilty of fraud.

Quote :

Defendant Kristofir,
This Court finds you guilty on the count of fraud as per King LongJohnSilver’s law concerning the same. The King’s law can be found in his edict (OOC http://forum.lesroyaumes.com/viewtopic.php?t=28957)

The Court notes that there is no specific section of old Legal Corpus of Somerset which could be applied in this case. Nevertheless this Court believes that the said edict of the King is above all duchy/county laws, which is why Judges who are chosen to serve the people in this august position are presented with a copy of the said edict when they enter this office. (OOC There is a link to the said edict of the King in the Judge’s law court page)

The Court notes that you have stated that you run a charitable organization. However, the Court has also noticed from the testimonies of the witnesses that you had filed no report of this alleged organization until the charge leading up to this case was made. The Court also notes that you changed your tavern sign from “This is not your average tavern.... Release the "Monster" within” to “If youre poor: Eat 5 pound bread. If youre rich/middle class: Donate 5 pounds” only after allegations leading up to this case were made, both in Bridgewater and in Chard.

Also it has come to the notice of the Court that at least one person has indeed been duped in your tavern(s), paying 5 pounds and getting no bread in return. One such individual is Asteria of Dorchester who had visited Chard and ordered from your tavern. Because of your duplicity in this matter, her health has suffered (OOC loss of stats, poor physical condition)

Hence, this Court hereby fines you a sum of 200 pounds, 100 pounds for each of your taverns that did not carry a proper description of what they had to offer, namely the ones in Chard and in Bridgewater. Also the Court would like to advise you to find some other means of collecting donations especially since offering plates of nothing in a tavern is a violation under the current Legal Corpus of Somerset, and this method can indeed lead to the exploitation of the poor and needy even if you did not intend it to be so.

If you wish to appeal this case, please approach the Court of Appeals at the following address : http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewforum.php?f=98

The defendant has been sentenced to 200 pounds fine.