Crime Doesn't Pay but the Perks aren't so Bad

Poor old Doug Vaughn got his prison sentence today. Twelve years. So sad, so sad. KOB gives you the details of the crime and the sentencing. http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2754451.shtml?cat=500.
 
He did get the gig he wanted though. Federal minimum security as opposed to State medium security where all the regular criminals are . . . murderers and rapists and such. The judge was told that it would cost about $40,000 per year to keep 65 year old Vaughn locked up. If he lives all 12 years of his sentence, it will cost the taxpayers about $500,000. Guess we showed him how not to swindle us out of our money.

I worked at the Vaughn company every so briefly when I first moved to Albuquerque. I wanted to give real estate a go and after getting my license, I took a seat at the Vaughn company. The qualifying broker, when hiring me, told me that they didn't hire "just anybody" that walked in. But I'm pretty sure that they did. Why? Not because they thought any particular newbie was going to sell any real estate. That was doubtful. They wanted your desk fee. I think it was about $45 per month to have a chair at a desk with a phone - crammed in with about 60 other desks with phones.
I was also given the opportunity to work "floor duty." That is where I answered Vaughn's incoming phone calls for free. As in no compensation. The idea was, it was supposed to generate leads for me. That didn't happen. I was also supposed to be mentored by the qualifying broker while at the "office" working floor duty. That didn't happen either. Any questions that I asked the qualifying broker were brushed off, with him saying he didn't have time for me.. He was too busy cherry picking all of the real leads that came in.

And every now and then, I saw Doug Vaughn. Any conversation with Doug Vaughn was one way. The message was always the same: 1. Doug Vaughn is a real estate god. 2. Try to emulate him as best you can but know that you have no chance. 3. Pay your monthly desk fees on time or Doug Vaughn will take you to collections. What a pity this wonderful man ended up in prison.