Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 460 - 198: Safety Net Charge: Crime of Illegally Absorbing Public Deposits

Chapter 460: Chapter 198: Safety Net Charge: Crime of Illegally Absorbing Public Deposits

His mood was extremely heavy. On one hand, it was because he had received this subpoena. On the other hand, he suspected Tian Shulan had already betrayed him. The male voice on the phone just now... It had deeply stung him.

"Alright, I know now," he muttered.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, upon hearing that he might go to prison, Tian Shulan’s tone was unusually calm. She showed no worry whatsoever.

BANG!

Meng Lei clenched his teeth and slammed the table hard, his body shaking with anger.

...

「Jin City.」

In the nursing home, during his spare time from work, Qin Mu would communicate with Ma Ming to understand the progress of the case and provide remote guidance.

This case... it’s actually quite troublesome, he thought.

Strictly speaking, Meng Lei’s actions amounted to borrowing money and not repaying it. From the perspective of the constituent elements of a crime, it could indeed be classified as fraud. However, if the defendant hired a formidable lawyer with professional legal guidance, an absolute acquittal was entirely possible. For instance, they could argue that the borrowing was merely a loan dispute. The failure to repay could be attributed to various understandable circumstances. Moreover, loan disputes are considered economic disputes, not fraudulent activity. If the lawyer was skilled enough, it was entirely possible to have the fraud charges dismissed. The court’s verdict, at most, would order Meng Lei to repay everyone’s loans. It wouldn’t be enough to send him to prison.

And now, with only four days left before the trial, Meng Lei had enough time to find such a lawyer.

"Another fraud case in four days?"

Gossipy individuals like Zhang Qingyuan had also inadvertently learned about the follow-up to this matter.

"The verdict is already out, and that person still dares to transfer assets?"

"Now I truly understand how difficult debt collection is. No wonder there are groups of people online who specialize in it."

"Collecting debts through legal means is really troublesome. I’ve heard these specialized debt collectors are very efficient."

"But I still think Xiao Qin’s method is more efficient! If someone doesn’t return borrowed money, he directly charges them with fraud and sends them straight to prison!"

The group gathered around Qin Mu, discussing excitedly. They didn’t care why it constituted fraud; they were just interested in the unfolding drama.

Moreover, this case involved a borrowing dispute. Such situations were all too common in life; they had all experienced them when they were younger, so they felt a deep sense of personal connection to it.

In one’s lifetime... it’s inevitable to encounter a few deadbeat debtors who refuse to repay, they thought. If Qin Mu’s method could be used to send all of them to prison, likely no one would dare to default on their debts in the future.

"My method isn’t applicable to all defaulters. To send someone to prison, it requires multiple instances and severe circumstances," Qin Mu said, his lips twitching as he listened to their discussion. He patiently explained, "Borrowing money is typically just an economic dispute. However, Meng Lei’s actions—borrowing from multiple people and failing to repay any of them—are rather serious. If a person borrowed money from only one other individual, that couldn’t be classified as fraud; it would simply be an economic dispute. But if someone borrows from many people and repays none, their actions could be suspected as fraud.

"Still, as I mentioned, if their lawyer is competent enough, the fraud charges could potentially be dismissed. Fundamentally, these were loan transactions among classmates, not targeting strangers. They were based on the close relationships between classmates, a common type of borrowing in everyday life. This is a legally recognized and protected form of lending. Not repaying borrowed money is illegal, but not necessarily criminal."

"So, the other side still has a chance to win the case?" Zhang Qingyuan and the others widened their eyes upon hearing this.

These kinds of deadbeats... are actually protected by law, merely illegal, not criminal?! they thought incredulously.

"They won’t win," Qin Mu said with a slight smile. He continued, "Even if they find a competent lawyer who can get the fraud charges dismissed, Meng Lei will still be convicted of the crime of illegally absorbing public deposits."

He had already considered this eventuality. A competent lawyer might get the fraud charges dismissed, but Meng Lei absolutely couldn’t escape the charge of illegally absorbing public deposits. This particular criminal law had been established just two years ago, specifically targeting economic crimes. It refers to the act of illegally absorbing public deposits, or doing so in a disguised manner, thereby disrupting financial order. To constitute this crime, two conditions must be met. First, it must involve the deposits of others. Second, objectively, the perpetrator must have intentionally committed acts of illegally absorbing public deposits or doing so in a disguised form. Clearly, Meng Lei’s actions perfectly fit these two criteria. By borrowing money, he had, in a disguised manner, absorbed his classmates’ deposits and refused to return them, severely damaging their financial stability and living conditions.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The threshold for prosecuting the crime of illegally absorbing public deposits requires an individual to have illegally absorbed funds from thirty or more persons, or for the total amount absorbed to be one hundred thousand yuan or more. Currently, Meng Lei fully met the first condition: among his classmates alone, he had borrowed from thirty-four people.

Regarding sentencing standards, an individual found guilty of illegally absorbing public deposits is typically sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention. Additionally, they are fined between twenty thousand yuan and two hundred thousand yuan. If the amount is considered ’huge’ or there are other serious circumstances, the sentence ranges from three to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment, along with a fine of fifty thousand yuan to five hundred thousand yuan. Judicial interpretations define a ’huge amount’ for individuals illegally or covertly absorbing public deposits as one million yuan or more.