Lavish lifestyle and investment risks.

A law of journalese requires that crooks, swindlers and con artists live a “lavish lifestyle” with their loot. This description is used much these days by Boston media reporting on the federal court trial of former Fall River, Mass., mayor, Jasiel F. Correia II. He is charged with extorting $600,000 from businessmen wanting retail marijuana licenses, and for conning $230,00 from investors in SnoOwl, his software company that was a snow job. Carreia lived a “lavish lifestyle” — complete with a Mercedes, expensive dinners, clothes, travel, jewlery, a personal trainer, and paying off his student loans and credit cards — but without a lover, a customary recipient of a swindler’s dough. By the way, he was 23 when, in 2015, he was elected Fall River’s youngest mayor.

At the trial, according to a story in the Apr. 28, 2021, Boston Globe, a witness who said he invested $70,000 in SnoOwl (which went bust), was asked by Correia’s lawyer if he understaood risks and rewards when investing. The witness replied, “Well, it’s very risky when he steals all the money from the company.” The Globe reported that the judge said the reply was not responsive to the question and he ordered it stricken from the record and that jurors should disreguard it. Yeah, sure they will.