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How many suckers did you find
on all the apps that sent you money?

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A few different people.

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He's a member of over 50 different groups.

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I felt like it was easy.

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I could get away with it.

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'Cause you really don't
care what other people feel?

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You're really a sociopath.

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[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

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[theme music playing]

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[announcer] Seventeen-year-old Luke Stein
is suing his former neighbor,

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nineteen-year-old Gabriel Reyes,

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for unpaid loans given
through a social media app.

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[Kevin] Court come to order.

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[Judge Judy] Have a seat, please.

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Hello, Judge.
Case number 1121, Stein versus Reyes.

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- Thank you, sir.
- [Kevin] Welcome.

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[Judge Judy] Mr. Stein,
this case is about the return of money

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that you gave to Mr. Reyes.

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And what I'd like you to do is
explain to me how and when you met him.

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[Luke] Back on July the 19th of 2020,

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the defendant, Mr. Reyes,

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made a post on the social media platform
Nextdoor.

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- What is Nextdoor?
- [Luke] Sure.

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Nextdoor is a social media platform

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that enables neighbors
to connect with each other.

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So you can maybe connect
with neighbors

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about a lost pet that someone found.

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You can recommend a local restaurant,

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maybe find a yoga group to do yoga with.

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So it's essentially a way that neighbors
can connect with the neighbors

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and make connections with each other.

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[Judge Judy] When did you first join?

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[Luke] I joined Nextdoor back in 2017.

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How old were you when you joined?

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[Luke] When I joined, I was 13.

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[Judge Judy]
Did you connect with just neighbors?

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Just neighbors.

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[Judge Judy] From the time you were 13 on,

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were you a regular visitor to that site?

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I was relatively inactive on Nextdoor.

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- [Judge Judy] Inactive.
- Correct.

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[Judge Judy] What happened
in July of 2020, on the 19th?

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How old were you in July?

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Uh, 16.

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- Okay.
- [Luke] And the defendant,

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he made a post on the main feed, so...

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- Do you have it?
- Unfortunately, I don't.

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[Judge Judy] Is there any reason
why you don't have it?

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Yes. I tried locating that post,

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and I believe it may have been deleted
by the defendant,

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which is why I couldn't locate it.

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So if the defendant deletes the post...

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Do you have the ability
to delete posts that you post?

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No. What had happened is
I moved neighborhoods.

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And when you move neighborhoods,

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all the posts
from your other neighborhoods

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get deleted automatically.

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Well, they have to know that you moved,

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- so you have to advise them.
- Yes. I changed all my...

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[Judge Judy] Just a second.
So you changed it.

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- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And it was all deleted.

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- How old are you, Mr. Reyes?
- Nineteen.

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[Judge Judy] So in July of 2020,
you were 17 or 18?

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Eighteen I believe at that time.

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[Judge Judy] Well then, I'm gonna ask you.

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Do you remember the post

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that introduced you to Mr. Stein
in July of 2020?

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Yes, ma'am. So at that time,
I did not have a job

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so I was looking around the neighborhood
and doing little odd jobs.

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And I had broke my phone
and I had logged into my mother's phone

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and post on there,
"Can anyone, you know, give...

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[Judge Judy] Not--you know.

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You logged in on your mother's phone
to the neighborhood website.

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- Yes, ma'am.
- And you said...

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[Gabriel] "Can anyone
give me money for a phone?"

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[Judge Judy]
And did the plaintiff respond?

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[Gabriel] He had private messaged me
and asked do I currently have a job?

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[Judge Judy] How do you do--
how do you private message?

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- I don't understand that.
- When you click on somebody's profile,

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it'll say send a message
and you just click it

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and you'll type then
what you want to tell them.

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So that's what you call a private message?

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- [Gabriel] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] As opposed to

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a public message that you post.

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A public message,
is say they post something

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and if you click reply then,

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you reply to them
and everybody can see it.

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Private,
only you and the person can see it.

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Is there a book
that gives you all these rules?

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(chuckles) I'm being serious with you.

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It's so frightening to my generation
to have to know about all these rules.

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I know I sometimes will be sitting
with one of my grandchildren

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and I wanna look up something,

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and they'll scream at me,

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"Don't do that,
they'll know that you're watching him."

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I just want to find out how old they are.

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Or something, some piece of trivia,

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because I didn't know
that if you press something,

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that people or the person
who has posted something

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can see that you're reading it.

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- Did I get that right?
- Yeah.

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- [Judge Judy] Close?
- Yes. Yes.

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I need a social media monitor.

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I think there are many in my generation

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that needs social media monitors.

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Okay. So Mr. Reyes, you're 18, he's 16.

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"Can anyone give me money for a phone?"

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Did you get more
than one response or just one?

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- No, I only got one response.
- [Judge Judy] Only one.

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Okay. And do you remember
what he responded to you?

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[Gabriel] He had asked me,
"Do you have a job?

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Will you be able to pay me back?"

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And I said, "No,
we're in the middle of a COVID pandemic.

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I don't have any means of income."

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And he loaned me the money anyways

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and felt sympathy
and still loaned me the money.

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[Judge Judy] Just a sec.
Well, you said those two things.

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That's very interesting.

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Would you go back to what he said
in the beginning

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about needing a phone and his phone broke?

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He said, "I broke my phone
and logged into my mother's phone

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and posted on there."

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Okay. What was he--what did he say
before that what he was doing?

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[Whitney] He said, "I did not have a job.

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So I was looking around
the neighborhood and doing odd jobs."

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Okay. So that's what I thought you said.

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You were doing odd jobs
in the neighborhood.

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- Yes.
- [Luke] Yes, Your Honor.

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[Judge Judy] Just a second.
What kinds of odd jobs?

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[Gabriel] I was trying to locate
whether it be mowing yard.

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[Judge Judy] Oh, just a sec.
So you were mowing lawns.

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Yes, ma'am.

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What else were you doing
around the neighborhood?

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[Gabriel] I was walking people's pets.
I was washing cars...

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[Judge Judy] You what--just a second.

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- You would pet-sitting?
- Yes, ma'am.

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[Judge Judy] You were washing cars.

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- Were you going to school?
- No, ma'am.

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[Judge Judy] So you were
making money doing odd jobs?

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Okay.

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How much money did he give you?

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[Gabriel] He had given me $54.

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[Judge Judy] And how did he
get that money to you?

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[Gabriel] Through Cash App at that time.

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- [Judge Judy] Did you ever meet him?
- No.

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[Judge Judy] Is this the first time
you're meeting him?

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In person? Yes.

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[Judge Judy] So he Cash Apped you $54?

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- It was $57.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

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- Does that sound right?
- Yes, ma'am.

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[Judge Judy] Fifty-seven.
And that was in...

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- July 19th.
- [Judge Judy] ...July of 2020.

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When did you come back to the wells?

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[Gabriel]
I came back and I had to ask him,

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"Hey, can you give me more money?

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- It was kind of just a [indistinct]
- [Judge Judy] On what date?

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[Gabriel] The next month, actually.

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- [Judge Judy] In August?
- Yes.

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[Judge Judy]
Well, did you buy a phone in July?

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I had bought a phone in July,
and the phone didn't end up shipping.

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So I had asked for more
so I could get another one

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because it didn't even ship to me.

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How much did you ask him for in August?

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- Fifty-seven again.
- Fifty-six.

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[Judge Judy] When did you go back
to the well again?

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[Gabriel]
I had asked another time for $25.

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Month and year?

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It was same time in August,
I had asked for $25.

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So now you see you had a sucker?

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Yes, ma'am.

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A sucker with a little bit.

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How many suckers did you find
on all the apps that you were on?

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How many? Stop and think
before you answer my question.

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How many suckers did you find

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on any app that sent you little bits
of money in 2020?

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- A few different people.
- [Judge Judy] Yeah.

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And they sent you small amounts of money

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but you came back regularly.

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How did I know that?

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You know why I know that?

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Because when dishonest people
commit bad acts,

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and if they get caught the first time

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and have some sort of consequence,
they don't do it again.

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That's my history in the justice system.

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I did try to use him
because I felt like it was easy.

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Social media made you anonymous.

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It can make you an anonymous thief

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or it could make you an anonymous bully,

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so that you can do all the bad things
that, according to you,

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you would never do in person.

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[theme music playing]

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[announcer] Seventeen-year-old Luke Stein

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00:08:00,199 --> 00:08:01,800
claims his former neighbor,

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00:08:01,867 --> 00:08:03,600
nineteen-year-old Gabriel Reyes,

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owes for unpaid loans
given through a social media app.

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You get caught the first time,
you burglarize somebody's house,

197
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and you get thrown into jail
for a couple of days,

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and I don't care if you're 14 or 20.

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You think twice about
burglarizing another house.

200
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But if you go to court and they say,

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"We don't want you to do that again."

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You said, "That was easy. I'd made $900.

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I got cash, I got jewelry,
I sold it, no consequence.

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I'm gonna try that again."

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00:08:28,432 --> 00:08:30,367
And if you do it again,
and this time they said,

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"This time, I really mean it.

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Next time, there's gonna be
a consequence."

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And next time, nothing happens.

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And then you wind up with a 15-year-old
that [indistinct] through people.

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Do you understand? That's the rule.

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That's common sense.

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If you do something
and there's no consequence,

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society doesn't impose a consequence,

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people think that that's okay to do.

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You can scam as many people as you like,

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and you figured out Mr. Reyes,

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I mean, I'm listening to you.

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And you thought I was actually
looking at your history in here.

219
00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:03,600
So you said,
"Well, I better tell the truth."

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That's a skill that I learned
over the years.

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00:09:06,432 --> 00:09:09,232
But I knew that if you did it with him

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half a dozen times successfully,

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and you can do it anonymously 'cause
you don't even have to look at 'em,

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00:09:14,533 --> 00:09:16,667
then, there are other suckers out there

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that say, "Oh, this poor kid,
he's looking for a job.

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He doesn't have a phone.

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00:09:20,133 --> 00:09:22,265
If he had a phone, he could find a job.

228
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You know, he could post things
and people would give him jobs,

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mowing the lawn,
and babysitting, and meanwhile,

230
00:09:27,500 --> 00:09:31,399
you're laying in your bed
using social media

231
00:09:31,466 --> 00:09:34,700
to have several people
send you enough so you can get by.

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Would you think that that's sort of
outrageous conduct, Mr. Reyes?

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00:09:37,834 --> 00:09:40,366
I was actually looking for jobs,
but I felt like,

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00:09:40,432 --> 00:09:44,500
yes, I did try to use him
because I felt like it was easy.

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I could get away with it.

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You know, we started talking
and it was kind of, like,

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I didn't have to meet him in person.

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00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:50,899
So it was a lot easier to ask for
something.

239
00:09:50,966 --> 00:09:53,165
I'm not the type
to ask for something but...

240
00:09:53,232 --> 00:09:55,933
[Judge Judy] Social media made you
anonymous, is that what happened?

241
00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,667
- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] That's what happens.

242
00:09:57,734 --> 00:09:59,633
Social media made you anonymous.

243
00:09:59,700 --> 00:10:03,366
It can make you an anonymous thief
or it can make you win an anonymous bully.

244
00:10:03,933 --> 00:10:05,533
It can make you anonymous,

245
00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:07,600
so that you can do all the bad things

246
00:10:07,667 --> 00:10:10,633
that, according to you,
you would never do in person.

247
00:10:10,700 --> 00:10:13,000
You would think twice
about doing it in person.

248
00:10:13,066 --> 00:10:17,299
So you would say social media
gave you a bad lesson,

249
00:10:17,366 --> 00:10:21,332
taught you something
that was morally wrong, right?

250
00:10:22,033 --> 00:10:24,866
On well-meaning apps, the neighborhood,

251
00:10:24,933 --> 00:10:29,265
what could be better, Mr. Rogers,
the neighborhood,

252
00:10:29,332 --> 00:10:31,966
you could connect, find your last dog,

253
00:10:32,033 --> 00:10:34,332
find somebody to help you move,

254
00:10:34,399 --> 00:10:37,767
find somebody who needs you
to help them move.

255
00:10:37,834 --> 00:10:40,466
All of those things are wonderful.

256
00:10:40,533 --> 00:10:43,265
And then you find somebody and you look--

257
00:10:43,332 --> 00:10:45,767
actually, you, you don't look like
a bad guy.

258
00:10:45,834 --> 00:10:48,966
And you fessed up when you thought
I had the goods on you anyway,

259
00:10:49,033 --> 00:10:50,767
then you can find a predator.

260
00:10:50,834 --> 00:10:54,000
I'm not suggesting that your conduct
was predatory,

261
00:10:54,066 --> 00:10:56,533
although a little bit because you were
looking around for suckers,

262
00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:57,600
and you found them.

263
00:10:57,667 --> 00:11:00,232
Unfortunately for you,
your sucker was a minor.

264
00:11:00,299 --> 00:11:03,100
So you have to return to him
all the money that he gave you.

265
00:11:03,166 --> 00:11:05,799
Because a minor is not
allowed to make a contract.

266
00:11:06,332 --> 00:11:09,366
How much did you give him all together?

267
00:11:09,432 --> 00:11:11,100
[Luke] This is all that I gave him.

268
00:11:11,166 --> 00:11:13,866
Every single one of these
is a transaction from Cash App.

269
00:11:13,933 --> 00:11:15,633
I assume you added them up.

270
00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:18,567
I have the total that he owes me,
not how much I gave him in total.

271
00:11:18,633 --> 00:11:19,767
Well, what's the difference?

272
00:11:19,833 --> 00:11:21,500
[Luke] The difference is
how much I gave him

273
00:11:21,567 --> 00:11:23,466
versus how much he paid,
because he did pay me back.

274
00:11:23,533 --> 00:11:28,232
So at first, for the first three months,
he was paying me back,

275
00:11:28,299 --> 00:11:30,700
which is why I felt comfortable
giving him money.

276
00:11:30,767 --> 00:11:33,200
Oh, so first, he gave--
oh, this is gonna...

277
00:11:33,265 --> 00:11:34,600
- [Luke] Yeah.
- ...get worse than I thought.

278
00:11:34,667 --> 00:11:38,299
So he gave you 57, 56, 25, and then?

279
00:11:38,366 --> 00:11:42,066
[Luke] So ten, then we have fifty-six.

280
00:11:42,133 --> 00:11:43,466
[Judge Judy] Give me the date and amount.

281
00:11:43,533 --> 00:11:45,500
Uh, July 19th, 57.

282
00:11:45,567 --> 00:11:47,567
August 3rd, 56.

283
00:11:47,633 --> 00:11:51,332
August 24th, 56 again.

284
00:11:51,399 --> 00:11:53,767
August 26th, ten.

285
00:11:53,834 --> 00:11:56,000
September 14th, 50.

286
00:11:57,432 --> 00:11:59,399
September 25th, ten.

287
00:11:59,966 --> 00:12:01,700
November 8th, 20.

288
00:12:01,767 --> 00:12:03,667
November 8th, 50.

289
00:12:03,734 --> 00:12:05,466
November 12th, 20.

290
00:12:05,899 --> 00:12:08,166
November 14th, 37.

291
00:12:08,232 --> 00:12:10,667
November 19th, 35.

292
00:12:10,734 --> 00:12:13,133
November 19th, 15.

293
00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:15,734
November 20th, 26.

294
00:12:15,799 --> 00:12:17,799
November 22nd, 25.

295
00:12:17,866 --> 00:12:19,500
November 22nd, 30.

296
00:12:19,567 --> 00:12:21,432
November 23rd, two.

297
00:12:21,500 --> 00:12:24,100
November 29th, 55.

298
00:12:24,166 --> 00:12:25,833
December 3rd, ten.

299
00:12:25,899 --> 00:12:28,432
December 6th, ten.

300
00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:30,700
December 7th, five.

301
00:12:30,767 --> 00:12:34,667
And at this point,
I stopped the rest of requests from him,

302
00:12:34,734 --> 00:12:35,767
and I stopped approving it.

303
00:12:35,834 --> 00:12:37,200
[Judge Judy] I'd like to see the requests.

304
00:12:37,265 --> 00:12:38,466
- Sure.
- [Judge Judy] Let me see it, please.

305
00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:45,432
So what were you at at,
a pizza place, and you needed cash?

306
00:12:45,500 --> 00:12:47,399
I mean, what was five dollars for?

307
00:12:47,466 --> 00:12:49,165
Oh, hold on a second.

308
00:12:49,232 --> 00:12:51,033
Then, now we're getting serious.

309
00:12:51,100 --> 00:12:53,966
So now, you have ten, five,
twenty-five, fifty,

310
00:12:54,033 --> 00:12:57,033
and request, this was on December 16th,

311
00:12:57,100 --> 00:12:58,165
for a hundred dollars.

312
00:12:58,232 --> 00:13:00,232
"I'll pay you in two weeks.

313
00:13:00,299 --> 00:13:01,734
I'll owe you 200."

314
00:13:01,799 --> 00:13:04,600
Then January 8th, 70.

315
00:13:04,667 --> 00:13:05,667
Didn't answer him.

316
00:13:05,734 --> 00:13:07,833
February 4th, I assume of this year?

317
00:13:07,899 --> 00:13:09,533
- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] Which was 38.

318
00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:11,734
- Did you actually give him $20...
- [Luke] No.

319
00:13:11,799 --> 00:13:13,166
- [Judge Judy] ...in February.
- I did not.

320
00:13:13,232 --> 00:13:14,399
[Judge Judy] 'Cause it says received

321
00:13:14,466 --> 00:13:17,200
and request to borrow money until Monday,

322
00:13:17,265 --> 00:13:18,966
May 7th, just recently.

323
00:13:19,033 --> 00:13:20,966
[Luke] Yes, that was his latest request.

324
00:13:21,033 --> 00:13:22,366
[Judge Judy] And he paid you back some.

325
00:13:22,432 --> 00:13:23,667
How much did he pay you back?

326
00:13:23,734 --> 00:13:26,667
[Luke] In total?
He paid me back about $400 or $500?

327
00:13:26,734 --> 00:13:29,133
[Judge Judy] No,
I don't wanna know about $400 or $500.

328
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,166
I want you to take a calculator.

329
00:13:31,232 --> 00:13:33,299
Figure out how much you gave him
and how much he paid back.

330
00:13:33,366 --> 00:13:34,366
- [Luke] Sure.
- We're in court.

331
00:13:34,933 --> 00:13:36,232
You have to be a grown up.

332
00:13:36,299 --> 00:13:37,799
If you come to court, okay.

333
00:13:37,866 --> 00:13:39,767
Do you need a calculator?

334
00:13:39,834 --> 00:13:40,834
[Luke] Yes, please.

335
00:13:41,633 --> 00:13:44,332
While you're calculating the number,
'cause you have no numbers there,

336
00:13:44,399 --> 00:13:45,399
- is that correct?
- No, ma'am.

337
00:13:45,466 --> 00:13:47,265
[Judge Judy] Mr. Reyes,
I want you to tell me

338
00:13:47,332 --> 00:13:50,899
on what social platforms you are active

339
00:13:50,966 --> 00:13:53,133
where you have asked people for money?

340
00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:55,232
I want you to think carefully.

341
00:13:55,299 --> 00:13:58,000
I want you to tell me
on what social platform

342
00:13:58,066 --> 00:14:01,033
and what name you use
on that social platform

343
00:14:01,100 --> 00:14:02,734
to get money from people?

344
00:14:02,799 --> 00:14:04,466
Gabriel Reyes, Facebook.

345
00:14:04,533 --> 00:14:07,232
[Judge Judy] And you have people
put money in what account?

346
00:14:07,299 --> 00:14:09,567
[Gabriel] My personal Cash App account.

347
00:14:09,633 --> 00:14:11,866
- [Judge Judy] That says Gabriel Reyes?
- Gabriel Reyes.

348
00:14:11,933 --> 00:14:13,332
[Judge Judy]
So you have to use your real name?

349
00:14:13,399 --> 00:14:14,567
- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] Now,

350
00:14:14,633 --> 00:14:20,133
when was the last time
you posted on Facebook asking for money?

351
00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:21,734
[Gabriel] About a month ago.

352
00:14:21,799 --> 00:14:22,899
[Judge Judy] How much did you get?

353
00:14:23,667 --> 00:14:25,799
Actually, I didn't get anything?
Nobody responded.

354
00:14:25,866 --> 00:14:26,966
[Judge Judy] Nobody responded.

355
00:14:27,033 --> 00:14:30,466
When was the first time
you asked for money on Facebook?

356
00:14:30,533 --> 00:14:32,533
When I was 12 years old.

357
00:14:33,533 --> 00:14:35,366
[Judge Judy] Did you get money
when you were 12 years old?

358
00:14:35,432 --> 00:14:37,366
- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] When you were 13?

359
00:14:37,432 --> 00:14:39,299
- Yes.
- When you were 14?

360
00:14:39,366 --> 00:14:40,633
- [Gabriel] Yes.
- See what I mean?

361
00:14:41,966 --> 00:14:44,165
Cut it off the first time,

362
00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:46,500
all the people that gave you money,

363
00:14:46,567 --> 00:14:49,200
because you made up different stories
about why you needed money.

364
00:14:49,265 --> 00:14:51,000
'Cause you're smart,
I mean, you're smart.

365
00:14:51,066 --> 00:14:52,767
That doesn't mean you're moral,
but you were smart.

366
00:14:53,299 --> 00:14:55,366
Other than Facebook, what do you want?

367
00:14:55,432 --> 00:14:56,966
Those are the only-- Facebook and Nextdoor

368
00:14:57,033 --> 00:14:58,332
were the only two I asked for money on

369
00:14:58,399 --> 00:15:02,667
because on my other profiles,
people actually know who I am in person.

370
00:15:05,966 --> 00:15:09,633
Of those two people, one is dead,
killed when he was 15.

371
00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:13,567
And one is doing life
without the possibility of parole

372
00:15:13,633 --> 00:15:16,265
since he's 15 years old in solitary.

373
00:15:16,332 --> 00:15:17,667
I'm just telling you.

374
00:15:17,734 --> 00:15:20,399
It's your choice, your life, you make it.

375
00:15:24,899 --> 00:15:27,899
[theme music playing]

376
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:33,933
[announcer] Seventeen-year-old Luke Stein

377
00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,933
is accusing his former neighbor,

378
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,767
nineteen-year-old Gabriel Reyes
of refusing to pay back multiple loans

379
00:15:40,834 --> 00:15:42,700
made through a social media app.

380
00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:44,299
Did you find his Facebook page?

381
00:15:44,366 --> 00:15:49,133
I didn't. There's a lot
of Gabriel Reyeses on Facebook,

382
00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,033
and I wouldn't be able
to see the transactions anyway

383
00:15:52,100 --> 00:15:54,466
if they were private messages
or if they're on his page

384
00:15:54,533 --> 00:15:56,066
- because we're not connected.
- Have your phone?

385
00:15:56,133 --> 00:15:57,866
- [Gabriel] Yes.
- Bring up your Facebook account.

386
00:16:01,833 --> 00:16:02,833
[Gabriel] Yeah.

387
00:16:02,899 --> 00:16:04,567
Sarah, would you take his phone
'cause you...

388
00:16:04,633 --> 00:16:06,100
- Okay.
- ...had something better than I do.

389
00:16:06,166 --> 00:16:07,966
I'm gonna show you,
I'll pull up the groups that they're in.

390
00:16:11,700 --> 00:16:12,734
[Sarah] Thank you.

391
00:16:13,133 --> 00:16:16,466
Okay. Sarah, could you look back
at his history

392
00:16:16,533 --> 00:16:18,767
and see any where
her was asking for money?

393
00:16:19,066 --> 00:16:20,200
Sure.

394
00:16:21,265 --> 00:16:23,133
It was through a group on there.

395
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:24,432
It's called It's Only Money.

396
00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:27,899
It's where people get on there
and ask for money.

397
00:16:27,966 --> 00:16:29,899
- Do you understand what he's saying?
- Uh-hmm.

398
00:16:30,366 --> 00:16:31,366
Glad you do.

399
00:16:32,366 --> 00:16:33,366
It's Only Money.

400
00:16:33,432 --> 00:16:34,432
Did you ever hear of that?

401
00:16:34,500 --> 00:16:36,633
It's on-- Facebook. It's Only Money.

402
00:16:36,700 --> 00:16:40,200
So that's, uh, a subtitle
on your Facebook account.

403
00:16:40,265 --> 00:16:41,667
That's the group name where...

404
00:16:41,734 --> 00:16:42,933
[Judge Judy] That's the group name.

405
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,834
You can create groups on Facebook

406
00:16:44,899 --> 00:16:46,133
- with other people.
- Okay.

407
00:16:48,066 --> 00:16:52,366
He's been a member of
It's Only Money since October 27th, 2020.

408
00:16:52,767 --> 00:16:54,466
- Just waiting for the posts to load.
- Yeah. But he said

409
00:16:54,533 --> 00:16:56,866
he's been getting money
from Facebook since he's 12.

410
00:16:56,933 --> 00:16:58,000
That's six years ago.

411
00:16:58,066 --> 00:16:59,734
Different outlets-- I'll delete stuff.

412
00:16:59,799 --> 00:17:02,332
I'll leave groups,
and once you leave groups,

413
00:17:02,399 --> 00:17:04,366
you can't see your posts in there anymore.

414
00:17:04,432 --> 00:17:06,799
Well, why would you leave the group
that you were getting money from?

415
00:17:06,866 --> 00:17:08,200
People would catch on.

416
00:17:08,266 --> 00:17:09,567
[Judge Judy] So then you changed it?

417
00:17:09,633 --> 00:17:12,099
Well, that's something that Facebook
really ought to know about.

418
00:17:12,165 --> 00:17:14,834
I mean, they're so vigilant
about so many things,

419
00:17:14,900 --> 00:17:18,633
they should try to be vigilant
about people scamming

420
00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:21,099
through a use of their product.

421
00:17:21,165 --> 00:17:23,066
Are you listening, Mr. Zuckerberg?

422
00:17:26,633 --> 00:17:31,633
He's a member of
over 50 different groups like that.

423
00:17:31,700 --> 00:17:33,900
So, I can't really go through
each individual one.

424
00:17:33,967 --> 00:17:35,633
That sounds pretty right.

425
00:17:35,700 --> 00:17:37,900
Did you come up
with a figure for me, Mr. Stein?

426
00:17:37,967 --> 00:17:39,599
- Yes, ma'am, I did.
- [Judge Judy] What's the figure?

427
00:17:39,666 --> 00:17:41,633
I paid him $1,304.

428
00:17:41,700 --> 00:17:42,799
[Judge Judy] And he paid you back?

429
00:17:42,866 --> 00:17:44,266
Four hundred and sixty-six.

430
00:17:44,333 --> 00:17:45,933
Leaving a net of?

431
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:47,599
Eight hundred and thirty-eight unpaid.

432
00:17:47,666 --> 00:17:49,165
Eight hundred and thirty-eight dollars.

433
00:17:49,232 --> 00:17:50,266
That's for the plaintiff.

434
00:17:50,333 --> 00:17:51,799
Mr. Reyes, I certainly hope

435
00:17:51,866 --> 00:17:56,299
that your activities shed a light
on a flaw in not only your character,

436
00:17:56,366 --> 00:18:01,200
but in the character of other people
who prey on other people's goodwill

437
00:18:01,266 --> 00:18:04,967
and being good citizens,
and trying to be a good neighbor,

438
00:18:05,032 --> 00:18:07,000
and trying to be helpful.

439
00:18:07,066 --> 00:18:09,099
And then it turns out
that they're a sucker.

440
00:18:09,165 --> 00:18:12,700
And with people who are savvy
on the internet

441
00:18:12,767 --> 00:18:14,967
as it appears that you already at age 18,

442
00:18:15,032 --> 00:18:16,967
I say only one thing to you, Mr. Reyes.

443
00:18:17,032 --> 00:18:21,799
You are clearly a smart man
who has reasonable IQ.

444
00:18:21,866 --> 00:18:23,500
You can either use that,

445
00:18:23,567 --> 00:18:27,432
and I once said this to a couple
of delinquents in the Family Court

446
00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:28,599
who were really smart.

447
00:18:28,666 --> 00:18:29,900
And I said to them,

448
00:18:29,967 --> 00:18:34,400
"You can take that energy
and forge it into something positive,

449
00:18:34,467 --> 00:18:39,000
so that you can leave a positive footprint
of yourself on the planet."

450
00:18:39,066 --> 00:18:41,299
Because you certainly have
the capacity to do that.

451
00:18:41,366 --> 00:18:45,000
Or you can continue to do what you do,

452
00:18:45,066 --> 00:18:49,366
because it's an easy way out
and it really just demonstrates

453
00:18:49,432 --> 00:18:50,967
that you're really a sociopath,

454
00:18:51,032 --> 00:18:53,432
'cause you really don't care
what other people feel, you know.

455
00:18:53,500 --> 00:18:55,666
And what I'm going to tell you is,

456
00:18:55,733 --> 00:18:57,299
though--of those two people,

457
00:18:57,366 --> 00:18:59,467
and we're talking about 40 years ago,

458
00:18:59,532 --> 00:19:02,700
one is dead, killed when he was 15,

459
00:19:02,767 --> 00:19:06,633
and one is doing life
without the possibility of parole

460
00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:09,333
since he's 15 years old in solitary.

461
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,933
I'm just telling you, it's your choice.

462
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:14,032
Your life, you make it.

463
00:19:14,099 --> 00:19:15,099
We're done.

464
00:19:15,165 --> 00:19:17,000
Your Honor. I have one other thing.

465
00:19:17,066 --> 00:19:18,500
The case is now over.

466
00:19:18,567 --> 00:19:20,165
- Okay.
- [Kevin] Court is adjourned.

467
00:19:22,366 --> 00:19:23,432
I think it was a good decision.

468
00:19:23,500 --> 00:19:27,400
I like, uh, how she talked with
the defendant a lot about his actions.

469
00:19:27,467 --> 00:19:28,799
Happy with her decision.

470
00:19:28,866 --> 00:19:29,866
How they were wrong.

471
00:19:29,933 --> 00:19:32,165
Um, I definitely appreciate
her talking with him about that.

472
00:19:32,232 --> 00:19:36,266
It was a lot of just my own fault,
because I didn't--

473
00:19:36,333 --> 00:19:38,366
I wasn't smart enough to not get caught.

474
00:19:38,432 --> 00:19:40,432
Uh, just the fact that
he might do this again,

475
00:19:40,500 --> 00:19:43,799
I think that's highly likely, um,
not only taking advantages of minors.

476
00:19:43,866 --> 00:19:46,232
A lot of it was I forgot to delete things.

477
00:19:46,299 --> 00:19:47,532
Or just people in general.

478
00:19:47,599 --> 00:19:49,500
My generosity, taking advantage of that,

479
00:19:49,567 --> 00:19:52,133
- it's just extremely disappointing.
- I'll take her advice.

480
00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,165
I definitely hope
he takes the judge's advice.

481
00:19:54,232 --> 00:19:55,633
And overall,
I am pleased with their decision.

482
00:19:56,532 --> 00:19:58,200
[Sarah] You know,
I like to think of myself

483
00:19:58,266 --> 00:20:01,633
as pretty adept
in the social media world.

484
00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:05,299
But after looking at his phone
and seeing on his own Facebook page,

485
00:20:05,366 --> 00:20:09,000
that he's a member
of 30 to 50 different groups

486
00:20:09,066 --> 00:20:12,232
where hundreds of people hundreds,
hundreds, thousands of people meet.

487
00:20:12,299 --> 00:20:15,834
And the group name is just,
"I need money," or Cash App,

488
00:20:15,900 --> 00:20:19,099
or "Wants, needs, desires,
but need money."

489
00:20:19,165 --> 00:20:23,133
Things like this, I had no idea that
this was an entire subsect of Facebook,

490
00:20:23,232 --> 00:20:24,967
and I could see how
someone like the plaintiff,

491
00:20:25,032 --> 00:20:26,366
especially during the pandemic,

492
00:20:26,432 --> 00:20:29,299
when you can't meet in person,
I could see how, you know,

493
00:20:29,366 --> 00:20:31,834
people could prey upon that
and get in these groups

494
00:20:31,900 --> 00:20:34,299
- and just get 'em on the hook.
- [Judge Judy] Yeah.

495
00:20:34,366 --> 00:20:37,366
That clearly was this young man's
full-time job.

496
00:20:37,432 --> 00:20:40,633
Because he got many people to do
what you don't do something like that

497
00:20:40,700 --> 00:20:42,400
- unless you are successful.
- Uh-hmm.

498
00:20:42,467 --> 00:20:43,700
And clearly, according to him,

499
00:20:43,767 --> 00:20:47,133
he was successful people gave him
lots of little money.

500
00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:48,599
But he was so clever.

501
00:20:48,666 --> 00:20:50,066
He didn't ask for a lot of money.

502
00:20:50,866 --> 00:20:55,366
So if he got 10 people to give him $25,

503
00:20:55,432 --> 00:20:57,333
he's made not weeks income

504
00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,099
- and he hasn't left his bedroom.
- Uh-hmm.

505
00:20:59,165 --> 00:21:01,000
But I was so serious, you know,

506
00:21:01,066 --> 00:21:02,666
and I know that there are
a lot of people out there

507
00:21:02,733 --> 00:21:06,299
that disagree
with the position that I hold,

508
00:21:06,366 --> 00:21:09,900
which is if you reinforce bad behavior,

509
00:21:09,967 --> 00:21:13,700
by positivity, people will replicate
that bad behavior.

510
00:21:13,767 --> 00:21:17,266
You're not supposed to reinforce
that bad behavior

511
00:21:17,333 --> 00:21:19,200
without having a negative consequence.

512
00:21:19,266 --> 00:21:21,432
So that it becomes a learning experience.

513
00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:24,733
And this kid started
when he was 12, and nothing happened.

514
00:21:25,333 --> 00:21:28,366
And that's what delinquency is all about,

515
00:21:28,432 --> 00:21:30,500
which is where I come from.

516
00:21:30,567 --> 00:21:35,432
And the system that I think
still hasn't found an answer

517
00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:40,000
on how to teach young people
that there are rules,

518
00:21:40,066 --> 00:21:42,700
and we live in a society,
and society says,

519
00:21:42,767 --> 00:21:45,099
"These are the rules
that we're all comfortable with."

520
00:21:45,165 --> 00:21:47,500
And if you transgress from those rules,

521
00:21:47,567 --> 00:21:49,299
society is going to push back.

522
00:21:49,366 --> 00:21:52,866
A negative consequence has to happen.

523
00:21:52,933 --> 00:21:56,767
I've been crying this song for 45 years.

524
00:21:56,834 --> 00:22:00,432
I hope somebody sometime will listen.

525
00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:01,967
- [Sarah] You made it...
- So far, I haven't seen it.

526
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:05,432
[announcer] Want justice?

527
00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:07,666
Go to judyjustice.tv.

528
00:22:12,599 --> 00:22:15,599
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