Rich and free at last

Is America a land of understanding or what? OC billionaire Igor Olenicoff pleaded guilty in December to one felony count of filing a false income tax return. In his plea deal, the real estate developer admitted that he lied on his tax returns about not having ownership or authority over any financial accounts in foreign countries (guess he forgot the ones he had in the Bahamas, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Britain). That kind of lie can get you up to three years in the pokey, but Olenicoff's plea deal made it unlikely he would get more than six months. Now, according to Forbes, a probation officer is recommending Olenicoff get off with no jail time, a year probation and a $3,500 fine. You mean a whole $3,500? The guy's a billionaire. He has more than that in his shirt pocket. (He did have to pay $52 million in back federal taxes, interest and civil fraud penalties.) Olenicoff's Bev Hills attorney, Edward M. Robbins Jr., insisted that his client wasn't getting off lightly. “That you're convicted of a felony, that's a bummer,” he said.