let's assume he didn't plea....and they took him to trial without adding additional charges. we'd still be talking about him actually only serving about 2 years. probably a little less than that, given it's his first offense. so to plea down to a year isn't a huge difference in that regard...it just keeps the feds from adding the additional RICO charges that bring much stiffer penalties. he gets hit with RICO and i'd GUESS he does about 4-5 years.
Reporter named Terence Moore from the Atlanta Constitution Journal is being interviewed on ESPN News right now. Says Vick is about to enter a plea. Says he will never play for the Falcons again, and likely will never play in the NFL again. I have no idea if he knows what he's talking about. Or if his guess is more educated than any of ours.
Lawyers representing Michael Vick on federal dogfighting charges are trying to negotiate a plea agreement that would include less than the year of prison time that prosecutors have offered, ESPN learned on Tuesday. A source also said that Vick's attorneys have recommended that the embattled quarterback accept a deal if it includes less than a year of jail time, but he has not decided whether to fight the charges. what a joke if that happens ... LESS THAN A YR of JAIL TIME? the justice department is to protect the RICH I guess. because your Michael Vick will give you less time .....
Roger Cossack (lawyer), legal analyst for ESPN: Federal courts mean you do 85% of your sentence - no early parole possible Says if the plea gets Vick only a year to 18 mo in jail, put the defense in the legal hall of fame. Was very sure about what he was saying, and he knows better than I would... per M&M this morning
As most of you know, i don't touch criminal law in my work at all. But I seem to remember hearing in law school that the federal sentencing guidelines had been changed to make sure that people were serving a higher percentage of the time they were sentenced for than before. Having said that, if the Feds agree to less because they believe he has more information about others, I think they can do that. However, I believe the judge can reject it if he thinks it's too lenient. I'm not positive of that. He needs to admit guilt and get on with it. I'm think if he thinks he can beat the rap in court, he's gonna end up looking at lots of time behind bars. And absolutely no chance at ever playing football again.
What you're completely missing is that the other guys in this case are not rich and/or famous...and they're getting sweet deals to turn on Vick.
link Crazy struff. 63 billion dollars. South Carolina Inmate Hits Michael Vick With '$63,000,000,000 Billion Dollar' Lawsuit Alleging Al Qaeda Ties Tuesday , August 14, 2007 FC1 ADVERTISEMENT Embattled NFL quarterback Michael Vick, facing federal charges related to his alleged participation in dogfighting, has been hit with a "$63,000,000,000 billion dollar" lawsuit filed by a South Carolina inmate who alleges the Atlanta Falcons star stole his pit bulls and sold them on eBay to buy "missiles from Iran," FOX News has learned. Jonathan Lee Riches filed the handwritten complaint over "theft and abuse of my animals" on July 23 in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va. • Click here to read the filing against Vick.(pdf) Riches alleges that Vick stole two white mixed pit bull dogs from his home in Holiday, Fla., and used them for dogfighting operations in Richmond, Va. The complaint goes on to allege that Vick sold the dogs on eBay and “used the proceeds to purchase missiles from the Iran government.” The complaint also alleges that Vick would need those missiles because he pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in February of this year. “Michael Vick has to stop physically hurting my feelings and dashing my hopes,” Riches writes in the complaint. Riches wants $63 billion dollars “backed by gold and silver “ delivered to the front gates to the Williamsburg Federal Correctional facility in South Carolina. Riches is an inmate at the facility serving out a wire fraud conviction. FOXNews.com attempted to contact Vick, but neither he nor his spokesman could be reached for comment. Vick's attorneys, meanwhile, are negotiating a plea deal with federal prosecutors before new dogfighting charges are filed next week, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. • Click here for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution story. No plea agreement involving Atlanta Falcons quarterback Vick has been filed, according to the court clerk, FOX News has learned. Vick was accused of being involved in a dogfighting ring called "Bad Newz Kennels" run on property he owned in Surry County, Va. In late July, Vick pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities, and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture in a Richmond, Va., court. Vick could reach an agreement ahead of new charges expected to come down next week after two more of Vick's three co-defendants prepare to enter guilty pleas later this week. By reaching a plea agreement, Vick could avoid any additional charges.
If Vick would have just named his kennels something like 'Happy Puppy Playland' he wouldn't be in this huge mess.
Anyways, I think that the tax dollars that WON'T be spent on a trial of this magnitude are well worth the decreased jail time that Vick will get. I couldn't even imagine how long the trial would drag out. Even if he only serves a year, his entire life as he knows it is done. No more football, no more endorsement deals, no sweet broadcasting gig, nothing. Also, who knows what kind of obscure loophole his lawyers would have been able to dig up and get him of scott free.
What tax dollars do you think would be spent? The lawyers are paid a salary...they not billing by the hour to the govt. The judge is already being paid. The courthouse is paid for. As for whether he will ever play again...I'm not sure. I'm thinking if he enters a plea, does his time and gets out that EVENTUALLY the NFL will let him back in. But I've gone back and forth on that. Loophole? Doubtful. Here's an article that indicates that the amount of time he gets in a plea deal is actually already determined by the sentencing guidelines...I'm unaware if that's true or not. i can not imagine him not entering a plea at this point, though. If his defense team can get the feds to drop the conspiracy charge, then we're talking about very little time in jail at all. And even if they don't, the enhanced charges we're talking about that come around as of Monday would be considerably more than what he's facing right now. Time to cut your losses. http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...k15aug15,1,4169331.story?coll=cs-sports-print Vick stands indicted of a single count of conspiracy to cross state lines to engage in illegal gambling; sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture; and buy, transport and receive dogs for animal fighting. The maximum penalty for the conspiracy charge is five years in prison. But if Vick were to plead guilty, he is expected to face no more than a year in prison, according to federal guidelines. If Vick could negotiate a deal that drops the conspiracy charge and allows him to only admit a role in the dogfighting offenses -- which are misdemeanors -- he could face even less time.
"Michael Vick subjected me to microwave testing" "Michael Vick used drugs in school zones" "Michael Vick is in the business of illegal steroids" ROFLmcROFL!!! I seriously can't stop laughing!
I was just imagining a worst case scenario. I don't know exactly how all that stuff works, but I'm sure they could find SOMETHING to bill to taxpayers... Getting reinstated by the NFL is one thing, but getting a team to sign him after a felony conviction is another. You never know, if Matt Schaub doesn't work out... I don't think the government would take a plea deal without the conspiracy charges. That's what they were basing their whole case on. They would definitely tell Vick's lawyers where they can stick that plea and bring on the RICO stuff.
