Policy Forum 

# Mugged by the State: When Regulators and Prosecutors Bully Citizens 

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Date and Time 

May 19, 2014 12 - 1:30 PM EDT 

Location 

Policy Center with Foyer 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring **Kevin Gates**, Vice President, Powhatan Energy Fund; **William Hurwitz, M.D.**, Pain Treatment Specialist; **Lawrence Lewis**, Engineer and Building Manager; and **William Yeatman**, Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute; moderated by **Tim Lynch**, Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute. 

The federal regulatory code has become so voluminous that it now bewilders ordinary citizens. The web of rules and regulations is now so vast that people can become ensnared in circumstances where they meant no harm. Even when there is no infraction, it can be financially ruinous to mount a legal defense against powerful agencies that seem bent on coercing a plea deal or settlement. And what about the reputations, livelihoods, and civil liberties that are sacrificed in that process? Join us for a discussion of these troubling trends and what can be done about them.

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