Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 457 - 197 Borrowing Money Turned into Fraud!_2
"I lent him twenty-seven yuan back in university to buy cigarettes. He said he’d pay me back afterwards, but I still haven’t seen the money."
"I’m out eight thousand yuan. He, at that time..."
"..."
In the classmate group chat, everyone stated the amounts they had lent out. This money was either advanced or borrowed under various pretexts. In any case, not a single person had gotten their money back from Meng Lei.
Ma Ming recorded these amounts one by one and simply added them up on a calculator. The total was 43,621 yuan! Suddenly, he felt a bit excited. According to the law on fraud, if the amount exceeds thirty thousand, it can be considered a significant sum. The sentencing range is three to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment!
"Right, why are you asking this? Isn’t this just rubbing salt in everyone’s wounds?"
"We’ll never get the money back. I just looked it up online. These deadbeats are as despicable as the developers who leave projects unfinished!"
"I was ready to let it go and consider the lost money a lesson learned."
"Luckily, I didn’t lend him much, just a few dozen yuan."
"..."
In the classmate group chat, everyone continued discussing, and the mood was very negative. Having witnessed the difficulty of retrieving their money, their spirits were nearly broken.
Seeing this, Ma Ming quickly spoke up, "Everyone, don’t panic. I was thinking, we could join forces and sue Meng Lei together."
As soon as the message was sent, over a dozen responses popped up instantly.
"Sue? What’s the use of suing? Haven’t you sued already? Did you get your money?"
"I see it now. In this world, honest folks suffer, rule-followers get bullied, and those who break the rules live the good life!"
"You can’t even get back your eighteen yuan. Our money is much more; it’s impossible to recover!"
"Meng Lei has made up his mind not to repay. He’s moving his assets not because of your eighteen yuan, but because he’s afraid we’ll all come after him!"
"..."
Several classmates’ tones were somewhat harsh, and they started swearing and cursing straightforwardly in the chat. They all saw through it. Meng Lei was clearly moving his assets because he feared they would keep demanding their money. Eighteen yuan isn’t much, but combined, all the classmates’ money amounted to tens of thousands! That’s no small sum.
"What I meant wasn’t suing him to repay the money, but to sue him for fraud."
Ma Ming, seeing the angry posts from his classmates, quickly said, "I consulted an expert. He said that Meng Lei moving his assets after the verdict, resisting the judgment, and making the judgment unenforceable, clearly constitutes refusal to execute a judgment under criminal law. Moreover, regarding his borrowing behavior, we can absolutely initiate a private criminal prosecution, attached with a civil lawsuit..."
He posted everything that Qin Mu had explained to him in the group chat.
The crime of refusing to execute a judgment is a public prosecution crime, and it’s highly likely that the public prosecution authorities will initiate legal action for it. Of course, Qin Mu also advised that if the public prosecution authorities consider the amount insignificant and choose not to prosecute, Ma Ming, as a victim, could still initiate a lawsuit for refusal to execute a judgment, firmly demanding a conviction under the law.
Besides, fraud is also a public prosecution crime. However, for certain special cases, private criminal prosecution by citizens is allowed. The incident they were dealing with—where Meng Lei kept straddling the line between borrowing and fraud, seemingly criminal yet not clearly so—falls into this category. A court ruling can determine whether the other party has committed fraud.
"Really?"
"Fraud? Sue him? Send him to jail?"
"Holy shit! Is this expert you consulted reliable, or is he just spouting nonsense?"
"If we could really put that bastard behind bars, I wouldn’t want my money back, not a single cent!"
"..."
Meanwhile, in the classmate group chat, after reading about the method for suing, the classmates burst into an uproar. Their previously deflated spirits were transformed; they were wildly excited. Some even didn’t care about the money anymore. For them, being able to send Meng Lei to prison was more gratifying than anything else.
Ma Ming, seeing his classmates’ reactions, couldn’t help but smile. As for those questioning Qin Mu’s reliability, he didn’t explain much; he simply shared Qin Mu’s account on Little Station in the group. Each episode on the account used graphically illustrative cases for "lively" legal education. It was memorable. From fraudulent fundraisers, shady brokers, and objects thrown from heights, to lottery shops, banks, and car dealerships, the accumulated number of "convicted" people reached over four thousand!
「The next day.」
Ma Ming took leave from work yet again. With a new strategy in mind, he once again traveled to Yangcheng, the city where Meng Lei lived.
Meanwhile, he also obtained notarized authorization from a total of 34 classmates in the group chat. The certification clearly stated he was authorized to help handle this series of legal actions.
After graduation, the classmates had spread far and wide. Many couldn’t make it, but all expressed their wish to participate in this criminal prosecution, requesting his help with the proceedings from a distance.
「At a certain law firm.」
Shi Liangping looked at Ma Ming, who had come calling again, and his lips twitched. He sighed, "Ma Ming, it’s just eighteen yuan. Maybe just let it go."
He had helped Ma Ming with his previous lawsuit. He had also assisted him in remotely filing the application for enforcement with the court this time. Unexpectedly, Meng Lei had transferred his assets and still refused to pay. What Shi Liangping hadn’t anticipated was that his former client would fly all the way to Yangcheng again, all for eighteen yuan! He had rarely encountered such perseverance in his entire life!
"Cough. I’ve already mentioned, this isn’t just about eighteen yuan."
