Over the past couple of years, Cleveland media has reported on the saga of Michael Grimm, the former U.S. Congressman from New York. Grimm was indicted last year on 20 counts, including three accusing him of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal tax returns.
If convicted of all the charges, Grimm faced potentially 38 years or more in federal prison. However, Grimm recently acknowledged his mistakes in a plea agreement and was sentenced to 8 months in prison.
When indictments of notable figures are announced, there's often a furious flurry of news reports. Grimm, a former FBI agent and U.S. Marine who had been elected to Congress, made for good headlines for a day or two before the press turned its attention to other matters.
It's interesting that when his sentencing was announced, it was to little fanfare. Perhaps the story was no longer sensational because his attorneys had helped negotiate with prosecutors a sentence appropriate for his infractions. The talk of him serving decades behind bars was gone. The reality is that the former congressman had made some serious mistakes and would pay for them with 8 months of incarceration.
Attorneys experienced in criminal tax charges understand that sometimes clients have made a mistake and that the client wants to acknowledge the mistake, make amends and then resume life as a law-abiding citizen. In these cases, knowledgeable attorneys conduct detailed negotiations with prosecutors that result in an appropriate, reasonable sentence; one acceptable to the client, the IRS and prosecutors.
Sure, a reasonable sentence acceptable to the defendant doesn't make for splashy news coverage, but it does ensure that justice for all is done.
