New York Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
The Washington Wizards’ all-star guard Gilbert Arenas pled guilty on January 15, 2010 to one felony count of unlicensed gun possession in a Washington, D.C. Court. The plea arises out of an incident in early January when Arenas brought guns into the Wizards locker room in a confrontation with teammate Javaris Crittenton. Arenas will not be sentenced until March 26, 2010, and is apparently facing the possibility of 6 months of jail time. He has also been suspended indefinitely from the NBA by Commissioner David Stern. Additionally, the Wizards could attempt to void the $111 million contract Arenas signed last year based on a morals clause in the contract.
This incident calls to mind the case in New York of ex New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is now serving a 2 year jail sentence after he pled guilty to unlicensed possession of a firearm last year. Had Burress not pled guilty, he was looking at the possibility of a mandatory sentence of 3 1/2 years in prison if convicted of the crime of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
It would appear that the Wizards and the NBA have a significant public relations problem when their star player, who led the league in scoring a few years ago, is facing felony jail time and appeared to be unrepentant when first charged with the crime, leading to Stern’s decision to suspend him indefinitely
Contact the Westchester County Criminal Defense Lawyers at The Law Office Of Mark A. Siesel online or toll free at (914) 428-7386 if you or a loved one has been charged with a crime for a free consultation to discuss your rights and legal options