By accepting you will be accessing a service provided by a third-party external to https://whizzbangsblog.com/
Saturday Musings – Sahar Sarid, Guilty Until Proven Innocent?
I’ve been watching the Internet explosion of interest surrounding the news that prominent domain hall of fame recipient, Sahar Sarid, has been charged with a number of serious crimes relating to mugshots.com. If you read the many articles and forum posts you would assume the trial has already happened and that he, along with his three associates are guilty…..
I find it really sad that in this day and age the lynch mob is alive and well as they leap into action to grab their burning torches and pitch forks by vilifying a man before the trial. I would remind everyone that Sahar IS innocent until his guilt HAS been proven in a court of law. All we know at this time are the charges and not the outcome.
I should also say that I find the business model surrounding mugshots.com to be unethical (and if proven, illegal) and one that I personally would not have anything to do with. That being said, under our legal system Sahar is granted the right of the presumption of innocence and his guilt must be proven.
This brings me back to the life principles of truth, trust and learning that I have been writing about over the last couple of months. If we were to apply them to this situation we can see the legal system will be endeavouring to prove the truth of the situation with the objective for everyone to learn. Through this we will receive enlightenment regarding the alleged perpetrators of mugshots.com.
If you consider it, the law is all about truth, learning and if individuals are found guilty, consequences. Sahar and his associates are about to get first hand experience of this process…..I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.
At this time, I wish Sahar all the best with proving his innocence but if he is found guilty then I am confident the legal system will deal with the matter in an appropriate manner. There is one thing for sure…..I know that I don’t have all the facts but the prosecutors and court will.
I find that I can’t write an article like this without at least saying something to the victims of crime, either alleged or proven. Although it’s often small comfort I pray that you receive some measure of justice (not revenge) and find peace as a result.
In times like this it’s important we examine our own houses and ensure the businesses we are involved in are squeaky clean. There’s an old saying, “Those without fault get to cast the first stone.”
Have a great weekend.
Comments
Unfortunately this is exactly the world we live in now. The Court of Public Opinion is the one that matters most, and once it has rendered a verdict it can almost never be reversed. Countless people have had lives destroyed by thus mob mentality, and any notion of "innocent until proven guilty" has gone completely out the window.
I mean really if you think about it, why should anyone ever need a defense attorney? Either their guilt can be proven, or it can't. There in theory should be no need to even mount a defense because you are already innocent of any and all charges, right?
Crowds are dangerous, and it's a big part of why I prefer to keep my head down and just quietly do my thing. Oh and not participate in social media... that's a key component for sure.
I completely agree with you. The role of a defense attorney should be to assist in revealing their clients truth and not obviscating what may or may not have happened. So many court TV dramas show the defense attorney as someone that knows the truth but hides it from the prosecutor....in reality they should be working together.
Sahar made a statement that he has been out of Mugshots.com since 2013. They were doing the same thing before 2013 that they have been doing up till now. All of those that have extorted since Mugshots inception deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. People have have had relationships damaged, lost jobs, and even committed suicide because of what Mugshots has done. I know someone that was proved innocent of a charge, yet Mugshots would not remove their mugshot without an extortion payment. Looking forward to justice being served.
I agree with you Chris. We need to be aware that our actions can often have negative impacts on others. The goal of the courts is to seek justice and not revenge for those people so affected.
Well said Michael,
This is not the time for mob mentality or rash judgements or publicly shared opinions .
Free speech is a right and a privilege and should also for reasonable thinking adults be a responsibility taken seriously.
Aside from the fact that opinions about the matter based only on the amount of info which is available or may have been reported may be lacking in substance or perhaps incorrect or misguided, There are ethical standards of character and behavior that define reporters and frankly define a civil society.
Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated. Judge not lest you be judged are a few old sayings I have heard along the past 60 plus years.
Trial by social media or blog is not what our society was built on and not how we will continue to operate as a civil society IMO.
I too was saddened to hear of Sahars tribulations. However I will save my opinion and personal judgment and any public statements for a time after I have heard the whole story.
Lets hope that calmer heads and reserved opinions prevail until more (if not all) is known about the matter. And that justice as designed in our Constitution and laws will be properly administered and served.
Prayers to all involved or affected.
S. Brady Alliy
Scott, you raise and important point. We only know what the media has revealed and not the details of the case. Although we have every right to discuss the matter we need to be aware of this and reserve our judgement until the proper process is complete. The "golden rule" you quoted should be applied to all interactions on social media/blogs.....the world would be a much better place if this was the case.
Couldn't agree with you more Scott.
It's funny how the Domain Industry is always so quick to condemn people they have respected for years. Sahar helped me and many others early on in Domaining and I respect him for that. Friendship and loyalty are hard to find in any industry but it seems much harder in domaining. Michael is also right that this case will be decided on facts not speculation. The one thing I have always admired about Michael is that he judges people by how they treat him and gives everyone a fair shake.
Thank you for your kind words. I do not believe it is my role to condemn anyone....thank goodness we have a legal system for this. I don't think what you pointed out is not unique to the domain industry....every industry has people that throw stones at others before letting due process unfold.
As per the testimonial on mugshot removals here pictured in the archive
https://research.domaintools.com/research/screenshot-history/reputationrepair.com/#3
Absolutely not, Google Mugshot Removal and count the over 4.2 million listings from Reputation Repair companies.
Ideal strategy for a reputation repair service - to publish what you now say was a deceitful testimonial, captured for the world to see.
It's OK, just point at all the others and say this many "million listings from" others, mine doesn't count.
good people compromise their true integrity for financial gain all the time, i don't condone it and i have zero tolerance for 'criminal' activity, especially when it comes at the expense of others livelihood, however, i do not judge.
as far as sal is concerned, he helped me get my foothold in this business 18+ years ago and has been a great friend ever since.
i pray for his resolve as he goes through this process and regardless the outcome i will still love him the same as i always have.
steven
Completely agree....ultimatley the purpose of the legal system is to bring a level of justice to victims. It also balances the scales so individuals can pay for their crimes and get a fresh start. When you really think about it, one of the goals of the legal system is restitution. I will also pray for Sal during this difficult time.
I agree that one is presumed innocent until proven otherwise, but let's just say these investigators did their homework. Check pages 13 and 19:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4465207/MUGSHOT-FILED-ARREST-WARRANT-Redacted.pdf
David, thanks for your comment. I want to separate out two things here:
Legally - They are presumed innocent. I would not want to be part of a society where the investigators were also the judges. One of the purposes of the judicial system is to ensure the law is seen to be impartial (hence the statue of the woman holding the scales with a blindfold on) and with a focus on the facts.
Public Opinion - I agree that it looks really bad for Sahar and the rest of those involved as the weight of evidence appears to be mounting against them. I personally wouldn't have anything to do with their business or them as I think the entire business model is immoral.
I think that too many people have blurred the lines between the "legal" and "public opinion". Because someone states the alleged offenders are innocent until proven guilty doesn't mean they won't alter their behaviour by not having anything to do with the accused.
What I get very nervous about is a mob mentality where a potentially innocent person (unlikely in this case) has their life completely trashed.....I would rather wait for the court verdict before saying anything.
Yes, this is important to keep in mind. Sahar is innocent at this time.
There were thousands, if not tens of thousands, who were innocent and never proven guilty on Mugshots. Yet, Mugshots extorted, or attempted to extort them. Whoever the owners of Mugshots turn out to be, then they should be brought to justice with long prison sentences. People died because of what they did.
I agree completely
Another odd thing is that Harvey Weinstein bail was 1 million dollars and Sahar's bail was 1.86 million. Does this seem right?
I think that depends upon the jurisdiction.