The FCC rang up Neal Davis of Fort Lauderdale FL, the northern community in the Miami market, for the standard $10K for the unauthorized operation of an FM station there. His attempt to avoid punishment, which included a claim of homelessness, has failed.
Davis did not deny his culpability – he did not attempt to duck the fine by pleading not guilty.
However, he did say the ask that the fine be canceled due to his inability to pay, which he said is due to his unemployed status and lack of income.
The FCC prefers to see tax returns to back up such a statement. However, Davis offered no evidence of any kind, giving the FCC no basis for cancelling the forfeiture.
Likewise, Davis’s claim of being homeless was not backed up by evidence. The FCC said it had no way to determine if he used that term because he simply does not own a home and rather rents a home or lives with a friend.
The claim of actual homelessness was undone by the fact that the FCC contacted him at a “residential address of record by both first class mail and certified mail, return receipt requested, and Mr. Davis does not dispute that proper service was completed.”
The fine sticks.
