The Gilbert Arenas Crimial Sentence is an Outrage
If you stubbornly believe, like me, that all individuals should receive “equal justice” and be viewed fairly by the courts, what just happened with Gilbert Arenas is an absolute disgrace.
Imagine if you have a gambling dispute with one of your co-workers. Also imagine that to settle this dispute you brought a couple of unloaded illegal guns to your job or place of business to use to make threats to settle the score. Then when you got caught, you lied about it to the police and tried to cover it up. As a former New York City prosecutor, I can tell you with certainty, you’re going to jail. For how long it would depend on many factors, but either way you’re going to the can, and you should..jpg)
Gilbert Arenas plead guilty to committing all of these crimes but only received a 30 day sentence to a halfway house and he will not do any time for these serious felonies. The sentence by D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin was over the prosecutors recommendations of 90 days in prison. Apparently, the court felt that Mr. Arenas should get a pass because he was “sorry” and had participated in charities in the past.
This reasoning is absolute nonsense. Arenas got off on a jail sentence because he is a professional basketball player and a member of the Washington Wizards (the local NBA team). Apparently the judge wasn’t swayed by the dangerous situation of bringing concealed illegal guns (even if not loaded) to a workplace to threaten someone (who may not of known the gun was unloaded by the way). This kind of criminal conduct requires time in jail no matter who you are. No matter how many points you can score. No matter how well you play defense. Remember you or I would be in jail if we committed these crimes and if justice was fairly distributed it, just ask Plaxico Burress.
Image: inboundpass (CC BY 2.0)
My name is Christopher Fusco. I am the managing partner of Callahan & Fusco, LLC with offices in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.