The incident of beating and dragging a passenger from United Airlines so United Employees can get a seat is just an example of how abusive the entire airline industry has become. United’s own pilots have come out to object to the incident. They sent a public letter which claimed that the incident occurred on one of United’s “contracted Express carriers, separately owned and operated by Republic Airline.” As a result, all flight crew and cabin crew on Flight 3411 were not United employees, and according to the union, should not be blamed for what happened.

Furthermore, they express their belief that the incident was entirely due to the “grossly inappropriate response by the Chicago Department of Aviation,” and that all “social media” should be directed at them. The mend dragging and beating the passenger were government police officers of the Chicago Department of Aviation. This feeds directly into police brutality because some police feel they are above the law and are rarely ever prosecuted.

Nevertheless, airlines frequently change schedules, or have their flights delayed or cancelled for a number of reasons. When the airlines change plans, passengers are usually offered little (if any) compensation, but when travelers must change or cancel their own reservations, huge fees can apply. If you want to change a ticket, they demand $200.

Yet the huge consumer fraud they get away with and would be criminal in any other industry is the simple fact that often half the price of the ticket is really taxes. You forfeit the entire fare but they are then pocketing the taxes. If a story sold you something and then offered a refund at least that did not include the sale tax, that would be criminal fraud. They are charging people taxes for something they do not send to the government.

The Airline Industry has had Congress in their back pocket now for the past two decades. They live beyond the law and are protected by Congress. The attitude of the people removing this doctor beating him for refusing to “volunteer” to get off the plane is really outrageous.

Once upon a time, Airlines competed. They gave perks to win your loyalty. Now they act like a monopoly fixing prices and change fees. I bought a first class ticket to the Bahamas because international first class tickets you could always change. A storm was coming so I decided to leave early. I called American and they said oh that $200 to change. When I said this is a first class ticket, the response was basically so what. That only applies internationally. When I asked since when was Bahamas part of the USA? They said that the Caribbean does not count.

Personally, I will always fly a non-US carrier overseas. The attitude of American carriers is basically screw you, what are you going to do? Congress protects us!

Well this time, the passenger is entitle to punitive damages and everyone involved, including United Airlines, will be writing checks into the millions. Those men who beat the passenger should lose their jobs and criminally prosecuted just like anyone else.

SAC Capital, formerly known as Sirius Asia Capital, in Singapore was founded in 2004. It began as a corporate finance firm specializing in IPOs and corporate advisory. There has been some confusion that a different SAC Capital Advisors was located in Stamford, Connecticut and New York City while its legal headquarters was incorporated offshore in Anguilla, British West Indies – not the USA. The SAC Capital in Singapore is not associated with the Steven Cohen operation that was criminally charged by the US authorities for inside trading. SAC’s criminal guilty plea in New York has nothing to do with the SAC Capital in Singapore. We apologize for any confusion between the two unrelated firms.

SAC Capital Advisors’ $1.2 billion criminal settlement for insider trading received of course the court approval from U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York, who typically just rubber stamp whatever the Justice Department tells them to do. This is the hedge fund firm run by billionaire Steven A. Cohen who paid a $900 million fine and in total $1.8 billion to settle criminal and civil claims.

This insider-trading probe stretched back to 2007. SAC Capital Advisors changed its name to Point72 Asset Management LP. The government ensnared eight current or former employees through guilty pleas and trial convictions. Cohen, however, was not personally charged and denied any wrongdoing.

The government extorted a very sizable monetary fine out of the culmination of all our efforts, which has no relation to the actual harm. As part of the plea deal, the firm agreed to manage money mainly for Cohen. This was a prosecution of former US Ass. Attorney Preet Bharara of the SDNY who refused to resign and forced Trump to fire him to get more publicity.

The theory of this case was that middle-men put company insiders together with traders to provide industry insight. This was a new theory of modern-day market manipulation. The FBI was using wiretaps and surveillance measures they typically have used in Mafia cases or drug cases against Wall Street. However, they still miraculously avoid the bankers. Once the Federal government charges anyone, it is hopeless for the judges only rule in the government’s favor and the conviction rate exceed 98.5% in New York so there really is no defense. In Mafia cases, an FBI agent will take the stand and say in his experience the word “pizza” or “fish” or anything, is a “code word” and it mean a kilo of some drug. So a wiretap that says “pick up a pizza” is a buy for a kilo of heroine. Juries always believe the government so it does not matter what you say – anything you say can be used as a “code” word for something.

In the case of Frank Quatrone at First Boston, a single email “clean up those files” becomes obstruction of justice. Naturally, if this were used against the New York Bankers, they would all be away. These tactics are only used against the fringe of Wall Street or anyone who dare to compete against New York City such as Refco in Chicago or First Boston.

Bharara called SAC “a veritable magnet for market cheaters” when he announced the indictment. He claimed that the insider-trading scheme dated back to 1999, spanned more than a decade and involved at least 20 public companies. He also declared, “When so many people from a single hedge fund have engaged in insider trading, it is not a coincidence.” Bharara continued: “It is, instead, the predictable product of substantial and pervasive institutional failure.”

Cohen’s firm managed about $11.9 billion in assets. So a fine to a hedge fund of $1.8 billion is a huge amount. Those who claimed that Bharara was tough on Wall Street, should look closer. Not a single NY Bank was ever charged even after pleading guilty to many events over decades and have never lost any license.