In the past five years I've loaned money to a lot of people, "friends" if you will that were in a financial bind...

I can remember getting paid back exactly TWICE. Both were women, one DIED and he husband paid me back (really tragic story) and one is a welfare mom of four children.

Five loans to "ex military" guys who now avoid me like the plague.j

One loan was always getting "redone" by an ex-marine who put up his garand with me as collateral. He got it back, came and got a loan again - did this about three times. The LAST time he just paid me part back, and said keep the rifle - which I have. Like with any collateralized loan I've made, the person can ALWAYS get the item back, just pay me what I loaned you. I've done a lot like this, mostly I kept the items. I don't charge interest BTW. As it turns out he was simply an alcoholic who couldn't hold a job, he's a nice guy - but alcoholism owns him at the moment. It made his prior history of "making a loan good" irrelevant. just thinking, but if a lot of what he does on facebook or with friends is DRINK ALCOHOL, then there's that explanation too. Doesn't make him a douchebag, just makes him an alcoholic.


having been in any branch of the service does NOT make one more trustworthy, and being on welfare doesn't seem to make one LESS trustworthy.

LEO's don't give legal advice simply because people that ask for it, are seldom being 100 percent truthful and civil law isn't something we're trained on, except how to recognize it, and free legal advice is worth exactly what you pay for it, else you get badgered constantly for your advice.

He's a thief, pure and simple - whether he's actually taken the money OR deprived you of some property with no intention to pay for it - he's a thief. The law will see it as "civil" but remember, OJ Simpson was convicted of murder in CIVIL court, and had to pay money. Criminal court is simply a different division of the law with it's own set of rules and procedures.

So sue him in small claims court. It's easy, but not free, you have to pay the filing fee - but you can get that back at trial IF you win. Some counties have the paperwork online, you just have to go down in person to file it.

Lots of people get the wake-up call when they get served with small claims paperwork, and work out the problem without court - in which case there's a check off on the original paperwork to indicate you have settled the claim out of court.

It doesn't matter that he put some scope or money into the rifle. If someone buys a car, puts new rims on it, a new stereo and all that fancy stuff - and he doesn't pay the original lender for the car - the entire CAR is forfeited in the subsequent repossession - including any improvements to the car. Entirely irrelevant that he has "an investment" in the car. Give him his scope back, since you don't consider it to be yours - fair enough.

Odds are he'll get all huffy and just pay you what he owes - the odds are even BIGGER that this thief will go whining to his girlfriend for the money (which, like and idiot, she will give to him) about how you "used him" or deceived him. You have to be ready to be painted by him as a "bad guy" - so be it, it's what ALL thieves do - redirect blame elsewhere.

I mean, you threatened him with bodily harm to get him to take the money, right?

it's not like you loaned him money for FOOD for his children, you loaned him the money (or goods) because he WANTED something, not because he NEEDED it to survive.

Hold him up to the standard, I wish I had done so.