ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
89-year-old man pleads guilty to drug mule charge in cocaine scheme
An 89-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Detroit to serving as a drug mule in a scheme to distribute more than 1,400 pounds of cocaine.
Leo Sharp of Michigan City, Indiana, is one of the oldest criminal defendants to step inside Detroit's federal court. He was contrite and very talkative during his appearance, saying he had never before committed a crime and worked for a drug organization because he needed money.
Sharp was 87 in 2011 when a Michigan state trooper pulled him over on Interstate 94, west of Detroit. Anxious and upset about what the trooper would find, he declared: "Just kill me and let me leave this planet."
In court, Sharp wore a dark suit that had a lapel pin signifying his service in the second world war. He playfully winked at drug agents who investigated the case. His hearing aids weren't strong enough so US district judge Nancy Edmunds invited Sharp to stand just a few feet away from her.
"You knew it was cocaine, right?" Edmunds asked.
"I did," Sharp replied. "Oh, yes."
.
.
.
Nonetheless, prosecutors are showing mercy by recommending a five-year prison sentence because of Sharp's age and his war service. It's a significant break: the sentencing guidelines, which aren't mandatory, call for a minimum of 14 years.
Defense attorney Darryl Goldberg said he will ask for less than five years when Sharp returns to court on 11 February.
Sharp owes $500,000 as part of the plea deal and has agreed to give up his lily nursery in Apopka, Florida.
Entire article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/leo-sharp-oldest-defendant-drug-mule-cocaine-detroit
World War II veteran who turns 90 next week hopes to avoid prison in Detroit cocaine case
An 89-year-old Indiana man who transported more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine across the country says he has dementia and should be kept out of prison.
Leo Sharp is returning to Detroit federal court on May 7 for his sentence — his 90th birthday.
Sharp pleaded guilty last fall. The Michigan State Police caught him in 2011 with more than 200 pounds of cocaine on Interstate 94, although it wasn't the first haul for the Michigan City, Ind., man.
Secretly recorded conversations show drug dealers liked to call him the "old man."
In a court filing Tuesday, Sharp's attorney says putting him in prison would be an expensive burden for the government.
Darryl Goldberg says Sharp was a World War II hero who was awarded the Bronze Star.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/2...0-next-week-hopes-to-avoid-prison-in-detroit/
What do you think, should this guy go to a Federal prison?
Apparently he knew what he was doing and did it multiple times. He isn't a danger to society so why send him to prison at the taxpayers expense when prisons are already overcrowded. However, he shouldn't get off "scott free". I'd say the fair thing to do (considering his age) is to give him five years under house arrest, with a stipulation that the remainder of the sentence could be suspended with good behavior after a year or so.
An 89-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Detroit to serving as a drug mule in a scheme to distribute more than 1,400 pounds of cocaine.
Leo Sharp of Michigan City, Indiana, is one of the oldest criminal defendants to step inside Detroit's federal court. He was contrite and very talkative during his appearance, saying he had never before committed a crime and worked for a drug organization because he needed money.
Sharp was 87 in 2011 when a Michigan state trooper pulled him over on Interstate 94, west of Detroit. Anxious and upset about what the trooper would find, he declared: "Just kill me and let me leave this planet."
In court, Sharp wore a dark suit that had a lapel pin signifying his service in the second world war. He playfully winked at drug agents who investigated the case. His hearing aids weren't strong enough so US district judge Nancy Edmunds invited Sharp to stand just a few feet away from her.
"You knew it was cocaine, right?" Edmunds asked.
"I did," Sharp replied. "Oh, yes."
.
.
.
Nonetheless, prosecutors are showing mercy by recommending a five-year prison sentence because of Sharp's age and his war service. It's a significant break: the sentencing guidelines, which aren't mandatory, call for a minimum of 14 years.
Defense attorney Darryl Goldberg said he will ask for less than five years when Sharp returns to court on 11 February.
Sharp owes $500,000 as part of the plea deal and has agreed to give up his lily nursery in Apopka, Florida.
Entire article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/leo-sharp-oldest-defendant-drug-mule-cocaine-detroit
World War II veteran who turns 90 next week hopes to avoid prison in Detroit cocaine case
An 89-year-old Indiana man who transported more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine across the country says he has dementia and should be kept out of prison.
Leo Sharp is returning to Detroit federal court on May 7 for his sentence — his 90th birthday.
Sharp pleaded guilty last fall. The Michigan State Police caught him in 2011 with more than 200 pounds of cocaine on Interstate 94, although it wasn't the first haul for the Michigan City, Ind., man.
Secretly recorded conversations show drug dealers liked to call him the "old man."
In a court filing Tuesday, Sharp's attorney says putting him in prison would be an expensive burden for the government.
Darryl Goldberg says Sharp was a World War II hero who was awarded the Bronze Star.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/2...0-next-week-hopes-to-avoid-prison-in-detroit/
What do you think, should this guy go to a Federal prison?
Apparently he knew what he was doing and did it multiple times. He isn't a danger to society so why send him to prison at the taxpayers expense when prisons are already overcrowded. However, he shouldn't get off "scott free". I'd say the fair thing to do (considering his age) is to give him five years under house arrest, with a stipulation that the remainder of the sentence could be suspended with good behavior after a year or so.
