Prosecutors take back deal after Shanesha Taylor blows $114k in donations. *Rage Inducing*

[LostInAnomie]

“The money is gone!” Teary mugshot drew $114K in donations, but prosecutors have taken back their deal.

Posted 3:21 pm, November 18, 2014, by Katie DeLong and CNN Wire Service, Updated at 03:23pm, November 18, 2014

PHOENIX (WITI/CNN) — She could have had all of the charges against her dropped — but now, prosecutors have taken back their deal.

Taylor received $114,000 in donations after people saw her teary mugshot when she was arrested on March 20th — after leaving her two sons in her hot car for about 45 minutes while she interviewed for a job.

--snip--

He says after helping to broker the “deal of a lifetime” with prosectuors — where there would be no charges if Taylor attended drug and parenting classes and put some of the money given to her into a trust for her children, Taylor has not followed through.

--snip--

“The money is gone. It’s been spent. It’s been wasted on designer clothes, Michael Kors. We want to see the bank statements because we see her in designer jeans, and we understand that she paid for studio time for her baby daddy’s rap career. I am flabbergasted by that,” Maupin said.

http://fox6now.com/2014/11/18/the-money-is-gone-teary-mugshot-drew-114k-in-donations-but-prosecutors-have-taken-back-their-deal/

[Travis_0004]

1. How do you spend 114k in 6 months?

[LostInAnomie]

2. Here's a good start

"Maupin says they have reports that Taylor spent $6,000 on studio time for the father of her children."

http://fox6now.com/2014/11/18/the-money-is-gone-teary-mugshot-drew-114k-in-donations-but-prosecutors-have-taken-back-their-deal/

[branford]

3. I feel bad for her new public defender.

He or she will certainly not have an easy time, and a new lenient plea bargain is not even a remote possibility.

Taylor and her children received a wonderful second chance. What a waste.

[LostInAnomie]

6. $114k would be a life changing amount of money.

It's not just terrible for her kids, but also for all the people that helped her.

Stuff like this will make those people think twice about helping someone, and that's sad.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

99. She's either really dumb or really selfish

Or both.

I'm not in a position to make that determination.

[Nye Bevan]

4. I bet the DUers who defended her are feeling a bit embarrassed now.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014929820

I smelled BS when she claimed that the money was in her "mom's bank account" and yet Mom did not show up at the courthouse with bank statements. Too many DUers were much more gullible, however.

[LostInAnomie]

5. Nye, you've been around here as long as I have.

How often do DUers admit they were wrong?

[Tsiyu]

7. If you have such feelings about this place, why do you both stay?

Yes, people had compassion for the woman. Yes, people often disappoint us.

How is this woman's wrongdoing a statement about DU?

Did you instantly mistrust the woman because she is black and you both instantly mistrust black people? I'll guarantee that there are plenty of pasty white people who have fleeced the public for far more than this woman.

They're all sitting pretty on Wall Street and in Congress on their pasty bejillionaire asses. But wait. They're white...my guess is you will utter nary a peep about their far worse infractions against us all.


never mind.....

[Tsiyu]

9. Not as much as in the two posts above mine

I'm talking about evidence concerning two posters. You two are condemning everyone on DU.

[LostInAnomie]

10. Right...

[Tsiyu]

11. All you have is a smilie...

Oh, and the words you, yourself wrote here.

There's that, too.

eyeroll on, friend

[Sheldon Cooper]

13. "Moronic indignance"?

Pretty big talk from someone who included "*Rage Inducing*" in his opening sentence. So, who gets to define and exhibit emotions here? Only you?

[Tsiyu]

55. ...

[Jackpine Radical]

28. The impulse to compassion is not wrong.

We can be deceived, and that is unfortunate. But it should not alter your compassionate instincts. This is sort of like turning up one case of welfare "fraud" and using it to attack the whole system of social safety nets.

Yeah, sometimes you'll be wrong & someone will get away with something. Most of the time you'll be right, and will have done something great. Personally, I give money to down & outers without much worrying that they'll spend it on a drink. Hell, maybe they need the drink. There was a time in my life when I did.

[NaturalHigh]

41. I used to worry about what people would do with money I gave them.

My wife told me "That's not your concern. After you give it, that's between them and God." I've learned a lot from my wife through the years.

I'm sad that this woman chose to squander so much money that could have helped her and her children to a good life, but that won't keep me from helping someone if I can.

[branford]

73. My concern is more about the children than Taylor herself.

The children have now been victimized at least twice by their own mother.

[NaturalHigh]

80. Undoubtedly true.

Emphasis on the "at least."

[yeoman6987]

43. That why I never give a dime to those I don't know

I will give to those I know and ensure they are really in need. I work to hard to risk giving to strangers like this particular woman. Can you imagine those who gave up something like a meal to give to her. And then goes and purchase designer jeans with the money? Tragic beyond words.


Hopefully she spends the rest of her life in jail.

[RedCappedBandit]

58. Thank you. Well said.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

100. I agree.

When I give to the person on the street corner, I do so because it's the right thing to do. What they do with the money is up to them.

[cwydro]

40. All I know is I'm sick

of DUers calling fellow posters racist when they disagree with them.

Pathetic.

[Aerows]

42. Amen

It happens way too frequently.

[Beaverhausen]

45. and a DU jury allowed that unfounded charge of racism to stand- 6-1

unreal.

[Tsiyu]

54. You have no problem with a poster

openly stating that he or she has never seen anyone on DU admit to being wrong.

That's cool with you. Even though, factually, it's complete bullshit. I've been here over ten years and have seen many, many, many DUers admit to being wrong.

But you and this poster have never seen it? Interesting. And you re perfectly NOT sick over a DUer making such a statement.

I called NO ONE a racist. I asked a question: Did you instantly mistrust the woman because she is black and you both instantly mistrust black people?

Questions are not "calling fellow posters racist." They are questions. And my guesses and suppositions are also not "calling fellow posters racist." LIA stated plainly and clearly that you, as a DUer, would never admit when you're wrong.

Learn about sentence structure; then maybe you won't feel so sick. And cannabis helps if you are in a state where it's legal.

[cwydro]

65. Wow.

Do your teeth hurt or something?

I was not even involved in the discussion about duers admitting no wrong.

Go find a quiet corner dear.

[Tsiyu]

67. Aww, having trouble staying on course?

Yeah, it is hard to keep up on threads if you aren't paying attention.

But you can do it.

I know you can.

[cwydro]

82. Reading comprehension is key.

You accused me of something I never said.

Get those teeth checked. You seem a bit fractious.

[NaturalHigh]

69. Me too.

It's a common deflecting tactic for many.

[kelliekat44]

14. Why feel bad for having sympathy for the plight of a poor working mother. I feel sad.. not bad.

She is a product of her circumstances. She was driven by the things in this society that drive most of us....THINGS!

[Quantess]

16. I feel sad for her kids.

Let's hope they survive their childhood.

[Jackpine Radical]

29. I see it your way.

[branford]

74. I do not agree.

Please do not infantilize Taylor or "poor working women."

She was charged with endangering her children, and when many people sought to help her and the children, including money, assisting her in finding a job and a very generous plea bargain with specific provisions to financially benefit the children, she screwed over everyone, including herself and children.

Poor working women no doubt have a difficult time in life, but the overwhelming majority know how to properly take care of their children and accept help when freely and generously offered, no less abide by the terms of an extremely lenient plea bargain, the thrust of which was to actually help your children.

Many of us are certainly motivated by the desire material goods. However, very few of us, including minority mothers who are poor, prioritize designer jeans and studio time for the baby daddy's rap career (a father who only reappeared after the money was donated) over the health and welfare of our children. Stating that Taylor was a "product of her circumstances" deprives her of free moral agency and is an insult to other hard working and conscientious poor working mothers.

[cwydro]

90. Well said

I agree.

She's not a victim, just a fool.

As in "a fool and his money..."

[Katashi_itto]

17. Ah an Ayn Randian advocate. So our problem is being compassionate?

I donated a small bit. Big deal, its not about her. I donated because it was the right thing to do. What she did with the money is on her.

[Nye Bevan]

18. "Ayn Randian advocate"? Perhaps you are confusing me with another DUer?

[Katashi_itto]

19. Your the one taking us to task for being compassionate.

Last edited Sat Nov 22, 2014, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

So yes, you are Ayn Randian.

[Kurska]

24. Compassionate =/ Gullible

Last edited Sat Nov 22, 2014, 09:32 PM - Edit history (3)

on edit: oh my lord, I'm saying being compassionate isn't the same thing as being gullible.

[Jackpine Radical]

30. Not compassionate = not fully human.

[Kurska]

31. I don't think we're on the same wavelength

I didn't say not to be compassionate. I said there is a difference between being compassionate and letting yourself get taken for a ride by a serial liar.

[Jackpine Radical]

34. I see what happened here. I red your attempt at ≠ as =.

It totally changed the meaning of what you said.

However, I will also elaborate on my message. Compassion will sometimes lead you into being conned, and maybe made to feel gullible. But you can't let that possibility block you from doing things out of compassion.

[elehhhhna]

79. what a sad idea. how'd u arrive at it?

[moriah]

25. Yeah, and she fucked up big time by not putting a dime away for her kids.

It should have been about her kids, you're correct, not about her.

Alas, she made it into being all about her.

[Doctor_J]

71. some liberal bashing in that thread

Not surprisingly.

[sabrina 1]

84. Why should anyone feel embarrassed for not judging someone before the facts are available to them?

What a strange thing to say, as if slamming DUers is more important than the story itself.

I thoroughly support Liberals' propensity to not jump the gun on someone when they have no idea whether they are guilty or not.

And I hope those DUers will continue to always give the benefit of the doubt to people who are merely 'accused'. Knee jerk reactions of 'guilt' as soon as an accusation is made, is what people should be apologetic for, since those reactions cause HARM, while the other reaction causes NO HARM. And as we've seen so often in this country, many innocent people have been the victims of those always willing to jump on the 'guilty' bandwagon, before there is a shred of evidence of guilt presented.

I would prefer to err on the side innocent until proven guilty because of the terrible results of doing the opposite for so many innocent people.

Such a strange comment considering the OP. If you so despise DUers who are unwilling to 'convict' without evidence, why come here at all? I think you will see that again and again here. We are not reactionary, right wingers willing to convict based on flimsy evidence at best. And maybe we are not blessed with noses that 'smell' things before any evidence, for which I am grateful.

[NaturalHigh]

15. This is really sad.

That money could have fed, clothed, and housed her family for a long time while she got her life in order. She had job interviews she never showed up for, and threw away all that money for a few months of living the high life.

I still think the original charges against her were over the top, but I don't feel a lot of sympathy for her now.

[VanillaRhapsody]

26. Not everyone is as smart as we on DU...

[exboyfil]

56. It is not about being smart

it is about how this adult woman has reached the point in her life that she seems to have little regard for her primary duty - the care of her children. We do see this behavior played out all the time in lottery winners and those whose economic condition has changed suddenly such as athletes.

I guess the rap studio time could be viewed as an investment such as starting in a business. Did she think the talent of her boyfriend may have been sufficient to start a career with her seed money? It is interesting he is also present in spending this windfall. I said at the time where was he so he could watch the kids when she went to the interview. He has an obligation and he owns this situation as well. How did he reach this point where he was not supportive of the mother of his children and his children. Also why did he not use more discernment about his own talent and capability of leveraging the studio money into a career?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

20. I'll bet the sympathy fund is running even lower -- maybe even into deficit territory. What a fool.

[NaturalHigh]

21. From the article:

"“I just hope we haven’t spoiled that goodwill throughout the country because there is going to be someone else that is going to need help,” Maupin said."

She has hurt not only herself and her children but likely also the next person who will need help in such circumstances.

[Lurks Often]

22. Looks like the public defender will be barginning over how many years she will serve

and if Taylor is smart she'll take whatever plea deal over how long she will serve without argument, because if she refuses and this comes out at trial, a guilty verdict will be a slam dunk and she'll probably receive the maximum sentence.

[moriah]

23. I know if I got $114k magically....

... my first thought would be paying off my car. Yes, I would get some new clothes, because I have two pairs of jeans to my name and only one pair fits right. But not designer jeans. And at least half of it would be in savings, or at least a downpayment on a house that I could afford the monthly payments on.

I truly don't see how anyone can blow through that much money that fast.

But that money came from people who were concerned about her kids. Not a dime has gone into a savings fund for her children? Really? So sad. I know that's not how the people who donated wanted their money spent.

I hope the "McDonald's Mom" hasn't done the same thing, but she seems more responsible.

[VanillaRhapsody]

27. but then you are smarter than some people...

not everyone in America has an above average IQ as I think most on DU have...

[Jackpine Radical]

32. It's not just IQ.

A whole lot of things go into getting as messed up as this woman is, and mostly those sorts of things are tragic.

[VanillaRhapsody]

33. I never said it was JUST IQ....

some people are not born with the best decision making skills...some are better at them then others. Its not a condemnation....it cannot be helped.

[Jackpine Radical]

35. Neither did you suggest it was anything else.

[VanillaRhapsody]

37. So that proves that I wasn't concerned with anything else?

this is ridic!

YOU just want to argue with me....PERIOD.

[Jackpine Radical]

38. And now it's all about you.

[VanillaRhapsody]

39. NO apparently its all about YOU!!!

and whatever it is YOU think....no one else can think any differently apparently. I have people in my own family who struggle with NOT being as bright as others....and they too do not always make the smartest decisions. Does that mean I have something against them?

[Tsiyu]

64. I agree with what you're saying

Some people who have never had much don't understand how fast money can be spent.
I don't know this woman, and her actions are troubling and wrong, but Im', guessing she doesn't have the math skills to even add up what she was spending.

To her, it might as well have been a million bucks and she probably spent like it would never disappear.

I'm also guessing she got fleeced by the boyfriend and others, who exploited her windfall.

It's just very sad for her children, who should have been thought of first and foremost.

[cwydro]

66. Right. She's a victim.

Is that because she is black?
(Your question, back atcha)

[Tsiyu]

70. Do you read what other people actually post

or just see their monikers and spew something?

"Her actions are troubling and wrong."

Your poor jerky knees. They get a workout, huh?

[JVS]

46. In her situation, you'd think getting the 40k to prevent being prosecuted would be top priority.

[moriah]

48. Agreed. 100%. I could see her blowing the rest....

.... but the first moment I got a check that would be set aside. You can't enjoy designer handbags in jail.

[Initech]

63. I could seriously live debt free if I had that kind of money.

And that would be sweet.

[SoCalDem]

91. The job she was interviewing for probably paid $20K a year

so she has instant access to FIVE year';s worth of cash, and she blew it on herself & her man, instead of starting 529s for her kids' futures.. She should have at least put $15K per kid in savings for them.. By the time they needed the money for college, it would have grown.,

She could have prepaid rent & bills for a year, and still have had plenty of money to live on while she prepared herself for a real job..

What a waste of the generosity of strangers

[Iggo]

36. Thank goodness I didn't have access to $114,000.00 when I was getting clean.

Phew!

[Lex]

60. Exactly so.

Do people really think she would use it wisely, considering the circumstances?

[Sunlei]

44. why didn't her lawyer help her set-up the bank accounts?

I think it's was easy to go through 100k in 6 months, especially if a lawyer was hired.

Her lawyer quit on her a month or so ago. The Judge shouldn't have allowed the Lawyer to dump her (once the money was gone)

[LisaL]

47. She is an adult.

And who says she didn't have a bank account?
As for the lawyer, he claims she failed to pay him.

"Taylor's attorney, Benjamin Taylor, no relation, asked to terminate his representation earlier this month and a second attorney, John Agra, left the case after he said Shanesha Taylor failed to pay him. Taylor has since been appointed a public defender after being declared "indigent" or unable to pay legal fees."

http://ktar.com/22/1784105/Embattled-mom-Shanesha-Taylor-spends-4000-a-month

[branford]

75. Why shouldn't the lawyer be able to withdraw.

I'm an attorney. All lawyers can do is counsel and assist their clients, we cannot force them to choose the right or prudent path, nor are we babysitters to adults, social workers or psychologists. We are also entitled to be paid for our services. Absent very unusual circumstances, like being in the middle of an actual trial, and lawyer is generally allowed to resign when they are not being paid and/or the client refuses to accept their advice and counsel. Since a public defender is available, there is also no risk Taylor will be without legal representation.

In this instance, her original lawyers did an incredible job with the plea bargain, and I have no doubt would have helped her comply with its terms or referred her to individuals or groups who could readily assist her, likely free of charge.

The only person responsible for Taylor's mess is Taylor herself. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I wish her public defender the best of luck, for he or she will surely need it.

At this point, now that the plea bargain has been violated and revoked, I expect Taylor will soon be a involuntary guest of state for some time and probably lose custody of her children.

What a waste.

[cali]

49. I feel sorry for her. No, I didn't donate

and yes, she evidently blew the money, but I don't know that most people can understand what it's like to feel terribly deprived and then have this windfall dropped in your lap. I wish the money had been put into a trust for her children immediately, leaving a set amount for her to spend.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

101. No, I don't know what it's like to have a windfall drop in my lap

and I am fortunate enough that I don't know what it's like to have hungry children with no money to feed them.

HOWEVER, I think I can understand how horrible it must be not to have money to feed my kids, so I pretty sure I wouldn't run through that amount of money when I know my kids might be starving.

[Oktober]

50. I'm just...

[LisaL]

51. Yea, really.

Woman leaves young kids alone in the car, people donate a bunch of money to her, and she didn't put part of it in trust for the kids as promised.
Who would have thunk such a thing was possible?

[sendero]

52. I understand how...

... upsetting this is to a lot of people. But I'd say that what is at play here is similar to what happens when financially-unsophisticated (that would be most of them) folks win a large sum of money in a lottery.

Being totally un-used to having free cash at their disposal, these people usually wind up bankrupt in a few short years.

It is a complicated mix of lack of emotional intelligence, lack of experience in dealing with money and the feeling that the amount of money being so much greater than anything they have had before that it seems infinite.

I'm sad for her kids mostly but it is unrealistic to expect some people to deal with something totally out of their sphere of experience.

[Blue_Tires]

98. +1000

We see it with some pro athletes, too

The biggest factor is usually friends or family members (or in this case, babydaddy) who come by for a small piece which tends to add up very quickly, while at the same time encouraging her to spend some on herself, since she "deserves it"...

[Lancero]

53. I'm going to rub this in some peoples faces.

Some people, irl and other sites, didn't react to well to me saying she should have been jailed and her children taken by CPS. Some people are going to have this story shoved down their throats.

[Tsiyu]

59. Why?

Is it really important for you to be RIGHT?

Do you enjoy making people feel bad?

How sad for you. I hope you get some help with that. Going through life acting as if you have always made the right decision, and then "shoving your oh-so-awesome-correctness down their throats" makes me think you have nothing good or positive to do with your life.

Poor dear. I'm sorry for whatever made you that sort of person. It's got to really be painful to be that sort of soul.

[Sheldon Cooper]

61. May you take great delight in your gloating.

[Iggo]

81. I bet you're a lot of fun at parties.

[LittleBlue]

57. Had a lot of sympathy for her

$114k could have done a lot of good for her and her kids.

You can't save someone who is hopelessly stupid. Designer clothes? Michael Kors, eh? Pffff

[Lex]

62. I'm flabbergasted that people think she would've made wise choices with the money.

[LittleBlue]

68. Agreed

But I think a lot of it was redemption-themed. We hoped that she really was just a good mother who made one mistake. Everyone deserves a second chance and all that.

I pity her for lacking any ability to understand the consequences of her actions. Hopefully her children are not cursed with that trait.

[Skittles]

77. it's not just the money

she seems to have no real interest in being employed, either

[moriah]

92. That seems awful judgy. You can be poor and still know to put $40k of it in savings for your kid...

... especially if it keeps you out of jail.

I've been poor all my life. Yeah, it'd go faster than I wanted it to, but it doesn't take a super-genius to comply with a plea-bargain, or to do things like pay your rent up, pay off your car (or get a new one if it's not worth paying off), etc.

Her poor kids.

[Lex]

95. She left her kids in a dangerously hot car and you think I've decided she's a bad decision

maker because she's POOR? I think she's a bad decision maker because she is one. People don't spontaneously start being responsible with money, kids, or anything really, if they have a history otherwise. Poor or not.

[moriah]

97. Sorry, I thought people on here had decided to ignore the fact she treated her kids worse than....

.... we'd treat animals with the sympathy train when it first happened.

Even now people were arguing that her sentence was absurd.

[hughee99]

72. I'm sure she'll make all that back once her boyfriends album "drops". n/t

[tavernier]

103. News flash

Baby daddy is gone. Left when the gravy train tipped over.

I am the a true blue "bleeding heart liberal", as the other side likes to say, but even I have to admit that some folks are just plain users and losers. I think miss mother of the year and her boyfriend fit that category.

[Skittles]

76. she sounds like one stellar gal

amazing how many people she fooled

[Initech]

78. What's really sad is that this will make people think twice before helping someone.

Between this and that Oklahoma City panhandler with the brand new Fiat, it really makes one wonder who really is needy.

[FSogol]

83. Rage inducing? Why? No matter how you try, it is not possible to help everyone.

People have a whole slew of problems and no matter how hard you try, there are people that resist what is best for them and make a host of problems for themselves.

Rather than getting angry, it is better for feel sorry for those involved and to hope some kind of help reaches them in the future.

And for people who gave, only to have their gift wasted, big deal, you tried, you have nothing to feel sorry for or remorseful about. It is better to try and fail than to have never tried at all. To those Freepers and Libertarians who will use Shanesha Taylor as an excuse not to try and to not be generous, shame on you. The attempt matters and doesn't always fail.

[Iggo]

89. "To those...who will use Shanesha Taylor as an excuse..."

"...not to try and to not be generous, shame on you."

[flvegan]

85. This place gets more like the "Comments" area on Fox every day.

I'm not read in on the story, but from the article it states she missed some deadline to deposit money. Somebody who is somehow related to the case who doesn't seem to have any actual evidence made a statement and the sheep go over the cliff right after it.

Someone has "reports" and "believes" when all that's actually known is that she missed a deadline. Okay, deal is blown based on that. That sounds like a fact.

I'm certainly not defending the woman and frankly don't really care. If she endangered her kids needlessly (I don't really know, again not being read into the story, but if charged for it...) then she can face trial and punishment for it. "Drug and parenting classes" tells me that there may be more to this.

[LisaL]

86. You are not well informed.

She really did miss the deadlines and now the trial is back on.

"Taylor agreed to a plea deal in order to avoid prosecution. She was required to put $60,000 into a trust fund for her kids but she missed several deadlines to do so. She refused Montgomery's offer to have the amount set at $40,000, and is scheduled to go to trial on Dec. 10."

http://ktar.com/22/1784533/Shanesha-Taylor-failure-wont-prevent-county-attorney-from-offering-similar-deals

[flvegan]

88. No, you can't read.

"all that's actually known is that she missed a deadline. Okay, deal is blown based on that. That sounds like a fact."

My point was just proven, thanks.

[moriah]

93. Other articles indicate she was declared "indigent".

The money is gone.

[Gormy Cuss]

96. ^^^This^^^n/t

[Hekate]

87. Why should we be "enraged"? Good karma accrues to those who give, but they are well-advised...

...to give to strangers only what they can easily afford. That way if it turns out ill the giver is not injured and they can shrug it off rather than feeling betrayed.

[moriah]

94. Even if it was a $10 donation, it was for her KIDS.

Not for her to go blow it all on the female equivalent of hookers and blow.

[noiretextatique]

102. either you give without expectation

or you don't. she was really stupid to waste the money, but it was hers to waste. and now she may have screwed herself...and her kids.

[dsc]

104. No it was not hers to waste

the money was given with the full expectation that it would be spent on the kids.