what if something like that happens to a tourist like me, while I am visiting NYC ? By the time of trial, I will already be back home, thousand miles away. Does that mean the mugger walks ? I always wanted to know the procedure of crimes against tourists and what to do if something happened to me ! I'm not too read up on the laws in NYC, but I grew up in Hawaii, and I can tell you that there tourists are sometimes targeted for the fact that they're tourists, because most criminals bet on the fact that visitors to the state won't return to testify, and so chances of doing time are pretty slim.
But they have supposedly tightened things up, and now in Hawaii a crime against a tourist can result in a federal charge, because targeting tourists threatens 'interstate commerce,' since tourism is Hawaii's commerce and all...
Because suspect Brandon Tisalona, 24, of Kea'au, allegedly assaulted a visitor, and in a separate incident confronted a couple from California, authorities said the case could be pursued as a violation of the Hobbs Act if it can be proven he targeted tourists in crimes that interfered with interstate commerce.
If convicted of robbery under the federal law instead of being prosecuted under state law, Tisalona could face a tougher sentence of up to 20 years in a federal prison, with no chance for parole, said Ron Johnson, major crimes chief for the U.S. attorney's office in Honolulu.
But prosecutors would have to demonstrate the offenses actually stymied interstate commerce, which can be difficult. The U.S. attorney's office declined to accept previous Big Island cases in which tourists were victimized, because the circumstances did not meet the federal requirements. Assault may be federal case
Updated On: 4/26/07 at 02:12 AM
