Ok, then I'll say the other thing:
@Al "Please be careful. You could make a mistake now, and staff could penalize you for it ten years from now! "
That's just plain ridiculous. There are active members walking around who are a testament to the fact that there are quite some second chances. The mods are all gamers themselves, and enjoyment of the game - for all members - is the main priority. As such, leniency is a bit like the harm principle, the more cheaters ruin the fun of other players, the less leniency there is for them.
It's like the others said, every case is unique. But if you've done something harmless and/or it's been quite a while, and you've been clean since, then leniency can be quite broad. If you've done something more detrimental to the enjoyment of others and/or it's recent or on-going, well, there's a discussion to be had then.