College student defends against federal criminal charges

Client(s) Client G

In 2008, at the request of a federal judge, Rick Deane, Jean-Paul Boulee, and Garrett Bradford agreed to represent a local college student indicted by a federal grand jury for a Hobbs Act robbery, burglary of a number of federal firearms licensees, and possession of a firearm during commission of a crime. The Judge requested we take on the case because the client had some sympathetic circumstances and had a high chance of rehabilitation -- he was young, had never been in trouble before, came from a strong close-knit family, made good grades in high school, attended college, had a strong record of steady employment, and was the primary financial support for his parents (both of whom had severe health problems) and two sisters. In October 2010, the client ultimately pled guilty and faced a U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of 10 to 11.5 years of incarceration for his offenses. We were able to present his unique circumstances to the court and obtain a sentence of only 5 years with a recommendation for earliest possible release to a halfway house so he could return to work and support his family. Furthermore, we worked with multiple state prosecutors and were able to obtain the dismissal of state criminal charges in September 2011 that were on hold pending completion of his federal sentence.

The young man is about to be released and has the chance of a promising future with the support of his family.