* Former Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) will be sentenced in federal court today…
It took Derrick Smith only a year in the Illinois House of Representatives to try to line his pockets with a $7,000 cash bribe.
Now prosecutors want the disgraced former state representative to spend as many as five years in a federal prison to think about the stack of bills he kept in a chest at the foot of his bed until admitting to the FBI he’d “f—ed up,” according to trial testimony.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marsha McClellan said that length of sentence would send a message to the unrepentant Smith — who denied his guilt even after his conviction last year — and to the constituents who re-elected him after his arrest in March 2012. […]
Victor P. Henderson, Smith’s defense attorney, will seek leniency for a man he said is simply trying to move on with life and provide for his family. Before his 2012 re-election, the West Side legislator became the first member in a century to be tossed from the House. […]
“Derrick Smith’s life is about serving the public and giving of himself,” Henderson wrote in his own memo to the judge in February.
Yeah. OK.
*** UPDATE *** Five months?…
And, no, that’s not a typo.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:19 am:
My guess is Smith gets a “Sandi Jackson” - one year, serving the year.
Giving Smith the “Vrdolyak Special” of a year with the day, allowing the 85% possibility might be too weak(?) in some judge’s eyes, in this case.
Or…make it 14 months at 85% is also one year. I can see that too.
Either way, seven large isn’t worth “college”, so don’t take the money. K? K.
- Stones - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:20 am:
I wonder if Smith thinks that 7 grand is worth a couple of years in prison now? Amazing to me how some folks never learn from the misdeeds by others in the past.
- Sir Reel - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:21 am:
I know attorneys are supposed to represent their clients but to say, “serving the public and giving of himself” is ridiculous. Cue lawyer joke …
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:22 am:
I don’t think Smith’s lawyer is helping any with that nonsense. Could just honk off the judge.
Better something like:
“My client is an idiot, a small-time nobody who the federal government targeted and entrapped because they figured he’d make for an easy score. It took them a long time do it, time they could have spent pursuing criminals who were hatching their own crimes, not those planned by the federal government.”
- CharlieKratos - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:29 am:
In politics, I’m sure he just wasn’t thinking big enough.
There’s a quote, “Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god.”.
I think the same “go big or go home” concept applies to money and politics.
- Ethan Hawk - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:30 am:
Giving “of himself” Mr. Henderson? I would say giving “to himself” would better fit the description of Derrick’s personal code of conduct.
Until the judges start slapping white collar crime with serious penalties and serious time in prison, the risk:reward ratio will continue to encourage these characters to run the “slight” risk of getting caught and getting their hand slapped.
- OneMan - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:35 am:
Hey, he was trying to serve someone he thought was a constituent. Just because there was something in it for him doesn’t mean it wasn’t about service.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:45 am:
Talk about being delusional to the bitter end.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:46 am:
Give him a slap and forbid him from every holding public office again. Lock him up for a short time for harming his constituents with his stupidity and immorality.
Drug dealers on corners handle more money than what he was found taking from the Feds. Geez.
- A guy - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:56 am:
Amazing really. He’s even unpopular with former corruption convicts. Setting the bar at $7K in bribes per year served in the GA is an insult to any self respecting grafter. He’s set each system back years.
Prediction: He gets 18 months and serves 85% of it, someplace less posh before a local half way house.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 10:07 am:
That quote should be flipped to read, “Derrick Smith’s life is about serving himself and selling out the public.”
- Robert the Bruce - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 10:09 am:
One year in jail, then one year as a lobbyist for ComEd so he can learn how little $7k is, and how things really work.
- Anonin' - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 10:41 am:
Since this is all about a nonproducing FBI snitch who had been on the dole for 4 years being told produce or you are out; we are not sure wasting more tax dollars on a federal prison is the wisest use of tax dollars.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:06 am:
To Aaron Schock: might be helpful to touch base with this dude and get a heads up as to what may be rolling your way. Also, empty your coffers and send it to counties that have to pay for your selfish, greedy, ego-tripping &$$
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:48 am:
Five months?
Well, that was “fun”..,
- Kerfuffle - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 12:28 pm:
Schock should be praying to get this judge.
- ToddAF - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 1:05 pm:
Just an interesting note on this. It took more time for Derrick Smith’s case to make its way through the court than Rod Blagojevich’s case, and Rod had TWO trials. Smith was arrested 3/13/12, and sentenced 4/23/15. Blago was arrested 12/9/08, and sentenced 12/7/11. Curious if that means both sides took their time in Smith’s case because it was so minor compared to Rod, or if maybe the changing of the guard from Patrick Fitzgerald to Zachary Fardon slowed things down.