Crime can pay. So can punishment, apparently.

In the mid-'90s, William Starling Jr. managed to defraud the government -- and those of us who pay taxes -- out of millions in about three years. Through a program that sets a certain number of government jobs aside for minority contractors, he obtained nearly $12 million worth of government work, saying he had a dozen employees, extensive equipment and experience. He had none of that, and instead he subcontracted out those jobs, and kept 10-15 percent of the money for himself. When he realized he was under investigation, he took $150,000 in contract money and took off to New Orleans.

You'd hope justice would eventually catch up to him. It did, but it didn't. Starling wound up pleading guilty to five counts of fraud, and faced up to 35 years and $2.25 million in fines. This month, he was sentenced. This is the killer: His "sentence" is three years' probation. And he has to pay back $796,855 to compensate the Army Corps of Engineers for finishing one of his projects. But he has to pay only $100 a month, and the judgment is up in 30 years, so he could end up paying a total of only $36,000. And he wasn't asked to pay back the $150,000 he took off with.

If that's not bad enough, add this: he's not barred from getting any more government contracts, not even while he's on probation. The judge said that's because of Starling's "need to make restitution." He needs a government contract to come up with $100 a month? That's just sick. He's now running a construction business in New Orleans. I'll bet he's salivating at all the government contract money for post-Katrina jobs. He left most of his work up here unfinished. If he gets another dime of government money, whoever signs off on it should have a brain scan -- to see if one exists.