Justice in the USA

A fund manager for Smith Barney is getting off without felony charges after he allegedly ran over a cyclist with his Mercedes and fled the scene in Eagle, Colorado, because, the DA says, felony charges would be bad for the fund manager's business.

Martin Joel Erzinger will not be charged with a felony because "Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger's profession," according to District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.

Erzinger fled the scene July 3 after allegedly striking Dr. Steven Milo with his 2010 Mercedes Benz sedan on Highway 6, according to court documents.

"Mr. Erzinger struck me, fled and left me for dead on the highway," Milo wrote in a letter to the District Attorney. "Neither his financial prominence nor my financial situation should be factors in your prosecution of this case."

"Milo suffered spinal cord injuries, bleeding from his brain and damage to his knee and scapula, according to court documents. Over the past six weeks he has suffered 'disabling' spinal headaches and faces multiple surgeries for a herniated disc and plastic surgery to fix the scars he suffered in the accident."

"He will have lifetime pain," Milo's lawyer, Harold Haddon, wrote. "His ability to deal with the physical challenges of his profession -- liver transplant surgery -- has been seriously jeopardized."