Sentencing/Post Conviction

Attorney Marc Dreier Pleads Guilty; Will He Go to Jail Prior to Sentencing?

Once a high-flying partner at the helm of a 250-attorney New York law firm, Marc Dreier pleaded guilty today in federal court in Manhattan to a fraud scheme for which authorities are seeking $700 million in restitution. Dreier, who was arrested in December for allegedly bilking sophisticated investors out of…

May 11, 2009 10:35 PM CDT

33-Month Sentence for Federal Judge Samuel Kent in Obstruction Case

Samuel Kent could have gotten up to 20 years in prison today, after pleading guilty earlier this year to a federal obstruction of justice charge. But prosecutors recommended only a three-year prison term for the 59-year-old Kent. And he got slightly less than that from Senior U.S. District Judge Roger…

May 11, 2009 3:41 PM CDT

Dreier to Plead Guilty Today; Will He Return to Penthouse Apartment?

Lawyer Marc Dreier will plead guilty this afternoon to charges he sold $700 million in phony securities to investors, according to his lawyer, Gerald Shargel. Less certain is whether Dreier will return to his penthouse apartment where he has been living under armed guard. Shargel told the New York Law…

May 11, 2009 11:54 AM CDT

Ohio Lawyer Gets 1-Year Suspension; Bought Jag & Boat, Let Taxes Go Unpaid

When John Large received a $72,000 fee in 2002 for settling a personal injury case, he bought a used Jaguar and his boat. But the Ohio attorney didn’t use the money to catch up on his unpaid income tax, reports the Vindicator. In practice since 1997, Large soon got behind…

May 7, 2009 6:49 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer Who Claimed Gambling Addiction Sentenced for Stealing

A disbarred New York lawyer who lost her gambling addiction lawsuit has been sentenced to three to nine years in prison for stealing from her client escrow account to support her casino sprees. Arelia Taveras was sentenced last week after admitting she stole $130,000 to support her gambling, the New…

May 6, 2009 6:19 PM CDT

2 Longtime La. PI Lawyers Disbarred; Others Disciplined for ‘Jackass’ Fracas

Two longtime Louisiana personal injury attorneys have been disbarred by the state supreme court for allowing nonattorney case managers to run much of their law firm operation. Partners E. Eric Guirard and Tommy Pittenger cooperated with the investigation, which began in 2000, stopped using the case manager system in 2004,…

May 5, 2009 11:40 PM CDT

Arrested at 13, Freed 16 Years Later After Witnesses Recant

Thaddeus Jimenez said he didn’t do it. But, after being arrested at 13 for a 1993 street gang murder, he was convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Only after the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law took on his case and witnesses recanted did…

May 5, 2009 1:59 AM CDT

Probation Recommended for Mom in MySpace Cyberbullying Case

A sentence of one year of probation and a $5,000 fine are the penalties recommended in a presentence investigation report for the defendant in a landmark federal cyberbullying case, reports Wired magazine. Acquitted last year of the most serious charges against her, Lori Drew was convicted in November of three…

May 4, 2009 9:43 PM CDT

High Court to Rule on ‘Freakishly Rare’ Life Sentence for 13-Year-Old

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether imposing a life sentence on a juvenile for a crime other than murder violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The court agreed to decide the question in two cases from Florida involving youths who were 13 and 17 when they…

May 4, 2009 4:11 PM CDT

Breyer Mulls Cheese Sandwiches in Ruling for Immigrant in ID Theft Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that an immigrant who made up a Social Security number to obtain work is not guilty of ID theft if he had no knowledge the identity belonged to a real person. The 9-0 decision found for immigrant Ignacio Carlos Flores-Figueroa, who was sentenced to…

May 4, 2009 2:49 PM CDT

Appeal Over Judge-Prosecutor Affair Should Be Heard, Texas Court Finds

Not quite a year ago, Charles Dean Hood was on the verge of being put to death in Texas when an execution order expired. A few months later, a last-minute appeal was granted within hours of another scheduled execution. Now he seemingly has some likelihood of overturning his conviction, based…

May 1, 2009 11:26 PM CDT

Judge Rebuffs Request for 230-Year Sentence for Ex-Gen Re Lawyer

A former assistant general counsel at General Re Corp. was sentenced yesterday to a year and a day in prison for his role in a scheme to manipulate financial statements, a sentence far lower than the 230 years in prison sought by prosecutors. Lawyer Robert Graham had been accused of…

May 1, 2009 1:48 PM CDT

Accused al-Qaida Agent Pleads Guilty, May Not Have to Serve Much Time

Ali al-Marri, an accused al-Qaida sleeper agent and legal United States resident who was held more than five years in an American military brig without charges as an alleged “enemy combatant,” has pleaded guilty in federal court in Illinois. His plea today to one count of conspiring to provide material…

Apr 30, 2009 10:36 PM CDT

Judge Refuses Inmate’s Request to Change Name to ‘Sinner’

A Nebraska judge has refused an inmate’s request to change his first name to “sinner.” Inmate Jonathan Thomas wanted to change his name to ”Sinner Lawrence Bilskirnir,” and cited his Norse religious beliefs as a reason, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. The inmate’s petition said he is a heathen…

Apr 30, 2009 7:15 PM CDT

DOJ and Legal Groups Seek Law Eliminating Cocaine Sentencing Disparities

Representatives of the Judicial Conference of the United States and the American Bar Association joined federal officials today in calling for Congress to enact legislation to reduce sentencing disparities between crimes involving crack cocaine and those involving powder cocaine. In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, a federal…

Apr 30, 2009 12:30 AM CDT