Overheard Courtroom Sidebar: ‘Crockefeller’ is Considering Guilty Plea

A man with a mysterious past is considering a guilty plea in a high-profile case, after allegedly kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter during a supervised visit in New York and leading authorities on a multistate chase last year.

Best known by his adopted name of Clark Rockefeller, although his real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, the 47-year-old socialite and German national has reportedly been offered a 4½-year jail term in exchange for a guilty plea in his Massachusetts case.

"During a hearing yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court, Assistant District Attorney David Deakin told Judge Carol Ball, in a sidebar conference that could be overheard by reporters, that prosecutors would recommend Gerhartsreiter serve 4½ to five years in prison, followed by 15 years' probation, if he pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him," reports the Boston Globe.

Gerhartsreiter is facing charges of parental kidnapping, giving a false name to a police officer and two counts of assault.

His lawyer, Jeffrey Denner, says Gerhartsreiter is considering the plea but has not yet decided whether to take it, reports the Associated Press.

"This was a man who was the primary custodian of his child, who deeply loved his child," says Denner, who declined to reveal his own recommendations concerning his client's sentence. "This is not some evil, child-molesting individual."

Earlier ABAJournal.com coverage:

New Lawyer to Represent ‘Crockefeller’ on Multiple Fronts

Bloodstain Test Planned in Calif. Probe Linked to Bizarre ‘Crockefeller’ Case