quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:...
So you are saying money and access to top level counsel plays no role in our justice system? Got it...LOL

I would not say it plays "no" role, but I got a lot of NG's on really tough cases when I was a Public Defender. And at least when I was at that office, undisputed, some of the best criminal defense attorneys in Broward worked for the Public Defender.

And as for OJ, well, that is a text book case on how not to prosecute a high profile case and also how not act as the judge. Different prosecutors, different judge, different outcome. OJ hit the lottery with the judge and prosecutors. I know 2 judges (now Federal District Court judges) that would have had that case done in a month or less. Money helped him, but he could not buy the kind of stupidity we saw from the bench or prosecutors. (I was just leaving the Public Defender's office at that time)

quote:

would not say it plays "no" role, but I got a lot of NG's on really tough cases when I was a Public Defender. And at least when I was at that office, undisputed, some of the best criminal defense attorneys in Broward worked for the Public Defender.

True, but then they left for lucrative private practice. Similar to the docs who fight to get into the ER at Cook County Hospital for trauma experience and then leave for private practice opportunities. Not many stay for the long haul, it appears you did not. It is luck of the draw to some degree.

quote:

Originally posted by Southflorida-law:
I would not say it plays "no" role, but I got a lot of NG's on really tough cases when I was a Public Defender. And at least when I was at that office, undisputed, some of the best criminal defense attorneys in Broward worked for the Public Defender.

I would absolutely concede that there are good public defenders, but I would argue that if you take 2 cases with the same set of facts and the same judge that the person with unlimited funds to spend on their defense will have a much higher chance of a lesser sentence or not guilty verdict. Would there be exceptions? Sure, but on average I would take that bet 7 days a week and twice on Sundays.

If I had been charged with this crime, I doubt I would qualify for a public defender (don't know the requirements and haven't looked) and would be left with someone who would take it for very cheap or be stuck trying to represent myself. I would bet that the result would not have been the same for me.

NBC:

Federal judge sentences actress Felicity Huffman to 14 DAYS in jail for participating in the college admissions scheme known as "Varsity Blues."

https://twitter.com/Tom_Winter...Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:

quote:

Originally posted by Southflorida-law:
I would not say it plays "no" role, but I got a lot of NG's on really tough cases when I was a Public Defender. And at least when I was at that office, undisputed, some of the best criminal defense attorneys in Broward worked for the Public Defender.

I would absolutely concede that there are good public defenders, but I would argue that if you take 2 cases with the same set of facts and the same judge that the person with unlimited funds to spend on their defense will have a much higher chance of a lesser sentence or not guilty verdict. Would there be exceptions? Sure, but on average I would take that bet 7 days a week and twice on Sundays.

If I had been charged with this crime, I doubt I would qualify for a public defender (don't know the requirements and haven't looked) and would be left with someone who would take it for very cheap or be stuck trying to represent myself. I would bet that the result would not have been the same for me.

Absolutely. We have a two tiered justice system where the attorneys are a large part of the problem.

14 Days in prison sentence just handed down, to be served at a future date.

$30K fine, 1 year probation, and a felony.

I wonder how much Lori Laughlin would pay get the same deal /sarcasm/

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
14 Days in prison sentence just handed down, to be served at a future date.

$30K fine, 1 year probation, and a felony.

I wonder how much Lori Laughlin would pay get the same deal /sarcasm/

Wow.... Hell of a penalty for a case that created such an uproar.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
14 Days in prison sentence just handed down, to be served at a future date.

$30K fine, 1 year probation, and a felony.

I wonder how much Lori Laughlin would pay get the same deal /sarcasm/

As predicted, nobody was going to jail for a long time for this, if at all, more hype than anything else.

This is the one who plead guilty, which helped her.

The sentence requested was only 30 days, so this isn't crazy for the court.

I think we often over sentence people, but to me this seems like a 30 to 60 crime, but with a much bigger fine. Fines ought to sting, and this one isn't enough to hurt her.

Lori Loughlin’ gonna make somebody a pretty cellmate...

Ask her, say, four days into her sentence if fourteen days is a cake walk. She's getting fourteen days more than she might very well have gotten. You know it's true.

She's gonna have a hard time, even if it's just five days.

Wish it could be served in a less ideal jail such as the Cook County slammer...

Since the payments were disguised as charitable contributions, how was there no IRS involvement?

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Ask her, say, four days into her sentence if fourteen days is a cake walk. She's getting fourteen days more than she might very well have gotten. You know it's true.

She's gonna have a hard time, even if it's just five days.

Don't ya think that kinda depends on where they send her? If she heads to the Martha Stewart wing at Club Fed, I doubt the stay will be too painful.

Personally, I wanted a whole lot more time and $$$ penalty to send a strong message to others who might pull this BS in the future.

Huffman sentenced today to 14 days in jail.
That’ll teach them.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Ask her, say, four days into her sentence if fourteen days is a cake walk. She's getting fourteen days more than she might very well have gotten. You know it's true.

She's gonna have a hard time, even if it's just five days.

Don't ya think that kinda depends on where they send her? If she heads to the Martha Stewart wing at Club Fed, I doubt the stay will be too painful.

Personally, I wanted a whole lot more time and $$$ penalty to send a strong message to others who might pull this BS in the future.

I would love to see the smug look on her face dissolve when she meets the prison intake matron with her exam gloves pulled on...

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Since the payments were disguised as charitable contributions, how was there no IRS involvement?

Unless that was part of the plea deal, the IRS can charge her at some point with fraudulent deductions. There is certainly the possiblity of an indepth tax audit. In some respects that might be worse than two weeks in jail.

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Don't ya think that kinda depends on where they send her? If she heads to the Martha Stewart wing at Club Fed, I doubt the stay will be too painful.

Federal prisons are not places you want to be. Visit one sometime, and I think you will understand. Not everybody has the resilence of Martha Stewart.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
Huffman sentenced today to 14 days in jail.
That’ll teach them.

Actually, it just might. This isn't Carlotta from down the block. This is someone who is used to being pampered and privileged and apart from the great unwashed of this world. Her fellow pampered Hollywood bretheren see what's happening to her, and you can bet your bottom dollar (something ol' Felicity has never seen) that they are taking this seriously.

As noted above, Huffman has a cavity search in her near future. To someone who has been treated as being as an exceptional human being because of her celebrity, that's gotta be devastating. I mean, the woman performing the cavity search on her is a nobody who probably warmed her lunch in a microwave. Barbaric!

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
14 Days in prison sentence just handed down, to be served at a future date.

$30K fine, 1 year probation, and a felony.

I wonder how much Lori Laughlin would pay get the same deal /sarcasm/

The fee starts with Contrition. Huffman wisely realized this, Laughlin is too arrogant to have that realization.

Federal prison is no picnic. I've known people a lot less pampered than her reduced to wrecks with just an overnight. And having federal probation all up in your case for years is HIGHLY invasive, especially for the California types who think that having weed legal in their state makes it okay with the feds.

She got this deal because she cooperated. If there are convictions after trial, I'd be stunned if there are similar sentences handed out.