Neb. AG to ask for tougher penalties for small frauds

Regional News

Neb. Attorney General Jon Bruning

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning will ask the Legislature next year to allow prosecutors to combine the losses of multiple victims of financial crime in a single charge. Under current law, Bruning couldn't charge a gas station owner with a felony for selling gas with ethanol in it at the higher, unleaded price. Bruning could only charge the station owner with misdemeanors. For a felony, the total stolen must be at least $1,500, and the amounts stolen from each gas station customer can't be added together. Bruning says the Internet has helped scams that steal small amounts from lots of people to flourish. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP-11-19-08 1644CST<