Man Charged in Connection to Blagojevich Scandal Gets Minimal Sentence
Illinois judge could have sentenced Stuart Levine to life in prison, but instead issued a five and half year sentence.
February 01, 2013
Man Charged in Connection to Blagojevich Scandal Gets Minimal SentenceCooperation can pay. That appears to be the theme of a recent sentence issued by a judge in Illinois for a case connected with the Gov. Rob Blagojevich's corruption charges.
The judge recently sentenced Mr. Stuart Levine, a political campaign contributor who provided key information leading to the prosecution of former Gov. Blagojevich. Not only did Mr. Levine receive a much shorter sentence than anticipated, according to the Associated Press he also received praise for his cooperation in helping to put an end to "the state's sordid history of corruption."
Mr. Levine was charged with a long list of crimes, including fraud and money laundering. The offenses involved financial crimes against business partners, charities and hospitals as well as the estates of close friends. Levine faced the possibility of life imprisonment but received a sentence of only five and a half years.
The sentence was designed to be a reflection of the benefits tied to cooperating with authorities. Levine's sentence was dramatically reduced because he provided evidence that aided in the conviction of other offenders, like Blagojevich.
This leniency was intended to encourage others in similar situations to cooperate when charged with similar white collar crimes.
White Collar Crimes Defined
The term white collar crime can cover a wide spectrum of behavior. In many cases, it refers to charges involving tax fraud and money laundering.
Essentially, any type of fraud refers to a crime that involves deceit for monetary gain. Tax fraud may exist when an individual or business falsely files tax forms or illegally transfers property to avoid paying taxes, while money laundering is a process where illegally obtained money is put through a series of transactions in an attempt to make it appear legitimate.
Generally, there are three parts of a money laundering crime:
-Money deposited into a bank or other financial institution
-Layers of transactions are added to make it difficult to find the money's origins
-The now "clean" money is mixed with legal money, a process referred to as integration
These and other white collar crimes can be alleged against individuals, businesses or corporations at both a federal and state level. Allegations of money laundering or fraud can be devastating to a business or individual's reputation and should be taken seriously.
If you or a loved one is under investigation for a white collar crime, it is important to contact an experienced white collar crime lawyer to better protect your legal rights.
Article provided by Dziedziak & Marcus, P.C.
Visit us at http://www.dzmlaw.com