OJ sentenced to as much as 33 years for robbery

[zzyzzx]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/oj_simpson

O.J. sentenced to as much as 33 years for robbery


LAS VEGAS – A broken O.J. Simpson was sentenced Friday to as much as 33 years in prison for a hotel armed robbery after a judge rejected his apology and said, "It was much more than stupidity." The 61-year-old football Hall of Famer stood shackled and stone-faced when Judge Jackie Glass quickly rattled off his punishment soon after he made a rambling, five-minute plea for leniency, choking back tears as he told her: "I didn't want to steal anything from anyone. ... I'm sorry, sorry."

Simpson said he was simply trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and other mementos, including his first wife's wedding ring, from two dealers when he stormed a Las Vegas hotel room on Sept. 13, 2007.

But the judge emphasized that it was a violent confrontation in which at least one gun was drawn, and she said someone could have been killed. She said the evidence was overwhelming, with the planning, the confrontation itself and the aftermath all recorded on audio or videotape.

Glass, a no-nonsense judge known for her tough sentences, imposed such a complex series of consecutive and concurrent sentences that even many attorneys watching the case were confused as to how much time Simpson got.

Simpson could serve up to 33 years but could be eligible for parole after nine years, according to Elana Roberto, the judge's clerk.

The judge said several times that her sentence in the Las Vegas case had nothing to do with Simpson's 1994 acquittal in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

"I'm not here to try and cause any retribution or any payback for anything else," Glass said.

Simpson was immediately led away to prison after the judge refused to permit him to go free on bail while he appeals.

Simpson's co-defendant and former golfing buddy, Clarence "C.J. Stewart, also was sentenced to at least 15 years.

Outside court, Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, and sister, Kim, said they were delighted with the sentence.

"We are thrilled, and it's a bittersweet moment," Fred Goldman said. "It was satisfying seeing him in shackles like he belongs."

The Goldmans took a measure of credit for Simpson's fate, saying their relentless pursuit of his assets to satisfy a $33.5 million wrongful-death judgment "pushed him over the edge" and led him to commit the robbery to recover some of his sports memorabilia.

Simpson and Stewart were both brought to the courtroom in dark blue jail uniforms, their hands shackled to their waists with chains. Simpson, who looked weary and had not been expected to speak, delivered a somber statement to the judge.

As he spoke in a hoarse voice, the courtroom was hushed. His two sisters, Shirley Baker and Carmelita Durio, sat in the front row of the courtroom, along with his adult daughter.

Both men were convicted Oct. 3 of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery.

"As stupid and as ill-conceived as it was, it wasn't something that was from this evil mind they teach us about," Simpson attorney Yale Galanter said before sentencing.

"Not bright, not smart, not well thought out, but certainly not from an evil mind," Galanter said.

Most of the 63 seats in the courtroom were taken by media, lawyers and family members of the defendants. Fifteen members of the public were also allowed.

After sentencing was over, the Goldmans left the courtroom and Kim threw her arms around her father and wept.

Simpson's sisters declined to comment, but Shirley Baker said on her way out: "It's not over."

Jurors who heard 13 days of testimony said after the verdict that they were convinced of Simpson's guilt because of audio recordings that were secretly made of the Sept. 13, 2007, robbery at the Palace Station casino hotel.

The confrontation involved sports memorabilia brokers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong. It was recorded by collectibles dealer Thomas Riccio, who was acting as middleman.

"Don't let nobody out of this room!" Simpson commands on the recordings, and instructs other men to scoop up items he insists had been stolen from him.

On Tuesday, Glass is scheduled to sentence four former co-defendants who took plea deals and testified against Simpson and Stewart.

Michael McClinton, Charles Cashmore, Walter Alexander and Charles Ehrlich could receive probation or prison time. McClinton could get up to 11 years; the others face less.

[zzyzzx]

[northcat_8]

I don't know about anyone else but I'm upset

[SquirrelDip]

I don't know about anyone else but I'm upset

Okay... I'll bite... Why are you upset?

[glockjs]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA

[Supreme2k]

I'm kinda pissed because the sentence seems like white revenge to me. You know that the excessive sentence is payback for him "getting away with murder"

[Conquest10]

I'm kinda pissed because the sentence seems like white revenge to me. You know that the excessive sentence is payback for him "getting away with murder"

Pretty much sums up my feelings about it. As soon as I saw he was also being charged with kidnapping that pretty much sealed the deal with me.

[M Bruner]

I thought the fact the whole scenario was taped from the beginning. They were expecting him, to record him, and send him to jail.

[glockjs]

and i reiterate BAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA

[northcat_8]

I don't know about anyone else but I'm upset

Okay... I'll bite... Why are you upset?

I realize it has been a day or 2 since I've been on the site there Squirreldip, but I remain a constant in a world of variables.

the "I'm upset" comment was sarcasm brought on by my completely indifferent feelings about the whole situation.

Actually I could careless about OJ or the sentence handed down. Is it white revenge? Don't know, don't care. I'm not going to read anything into it. But any logical person knows if you are accused of something and you really are innocent, whatever infraction you have in the future will make it seem like you were guilty the first time too.

That's on him, not sure where breaking into a hotel room with weapons, tying up a guy and all that seemed like the right thing to do...but apparently at some point OJ said "yea, lets do it" and now his dumb@$$ has to pay whatever price is set forth. White revenge or not, he deserves that sentence for sheer stupidity.

[JimmyJoeBob]

Hear Hear, Bravo Bravo

[DereX888]

I thought 'they' (KKK? Family members of his victims?) have shot him long time ago in the act of revenge aka justice being served...
How did he managed to survive that long?
We all read all the time all those horrible racist stories about bad white folks chasing all minorities - especially blacks, according to all the affirmative action groups - in the USA, don't we?...
Something doesn't add up here

[M Bruner]

33 years for sheer stupidity? Never heard of that crime before. And Derex888, if you really feel racism and racist acts have never exisited in America, I can see wht you closed with a smiley, as ignorance is indeed bless.

[DereX888]

33 years for sheer stupidity? Never heard of that crime before. And Derex888, if you really feel racism and racist acts have never exisited in America, I can see wht you closed with a smiley, as ignorance is indeed bless.

Mankind consists of many different races and thats a fact (in case someone want to say Im a racist pig for saying it ). And within each race people have always been "racist" towards each other too (say Germans towards Pollacks - even though both are white, Japanese towards Chinese - even though both are asians, and same "racism" goes on within all black nations, not to mention India and their ancient "castes" system, which is pure "racism").
This haven't changed in past few thousand years, and it will not change in the next millenium either, it is human nature.
If you can't see it then indeed ignorance is a bliss.

As for racism in USA: if it is such racist country, how was it possible that white majority of voters elected half-black President?
Thanks to political correctness brainwashing that has been going on for years in USA, nowadays to some people even stating somebody's race is already act of racism

[SquirrelDip]

I realize it has been a day or 2 since I've been on the site there Squirreldip, but I remain a constant in a world of variables.

the "I'm upset" comment was sarcasm brought on by my completely indifferent feelings about the whole situation.

Actually I could careless about OJ or the sentence handed down. Is it white revenge? Don't know, don't care. I'm not going to read anything into it. But any logical person knows if you are accused of something and you really are innocent, whatever infraction you have in the future will make it seem like you were guilty the first time too.

That's on him, not sure where breaking into a hotel room with weapons, tying up a guy and all that seemed like the right thing to do...but apparently at some point OJ said "yea, lets do it" and now his dumb@$$ has to pay whatever price is set forth. White revenge or not, he deserves that sentence for sheer stupidity.

I knew immediately it was stated sarcastically - I was just curious to your response... The f*cker should have been fried years ago...

[M Bruner]

First, we only refer to people from Poland as Polish, not your "P" word, hope the moderators delete that for you. And as for the nation as racist, indeed he did carry the popular vote, but I do hope you take a look at the electoral map.