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发帖数: 1538 | 1 刚刚看到这新闻 觉得 这渣 和药家鑫有一拼 美国的司法 太公正了
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The scion of a wealthy Chicago-area family pleaded
guilty in a South Florida court Friday to killing two British businessmen
with his Porsche but avoided prison after agreeing to pay an undisclosed sum
to the widows.
Ryan LeVin, 36, will spend two years under house arrest in his parents'
oceanside condominium.
Fort Lauderdale The businessmen's widows supported the sentence, and their
attorneys collected checks from LeVin immediately after Friday morning's
hearing. LeVin spoke only at the judge's prodding and offered no apology
during the proceeding, where he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a
fatal crash and two counts of vehicular homicide.
"The need for restitution does outweigh the need for prison," Broward
Circuit Judge Barbara McCarthy said.
LeVin admitted to being behind the wheel of his $120,000 Porsche 911 Turbo
when it jumped a sidewalk and killed Craig Elford, 39, and Kenneth Watkinson
, 48, as they were walking to their beachside hotel Feb. 13, 2009. LeVin
initially denied driving the speeding car and pinned the blame on a friend.
Given that LeVin's sentencing guidelines called for up to 45 years behind
bars, some legal experts say the case seems to be an unsettling example of
checkbook justice.
"It is an unbelievably light sentence," said Michael Seigel, a University of
Florida law professor and former federal prosecutor. "It is very disturbing
."
The crash grabbed international headlines, with London tabloids dubbing
LeVin the "millionaire playboy" because of his parents' costume jewelry
empire,Schaumburg-based Jewels by Park Lane.
At the time of the crash, LeVin was on probation in Illinois for a 2006 case
in which he had driven into a Chicago police officer and instigated a chase
on the Kennedy Expressway. Court records show LeVin has more than 50
traffic violations and a long history of drug abuse.
Illinois officials will work with Florida authorities to return LeVin to his
home state, where he faces a parole violation stemming from the 2006
incident, an Illinois corrections spokeswoman said. Illinois will seek to
have his parole revoked and sent back to prison.
Rather than agree to a deal with Florida prosecutors, who wanted him to
serve 10 years in prison, LeVin took an open plea that placed his fate in
the judge's hands. His lawyer argued that the need for LeVin to pay
restitution to the men's widows and children outweighed the need for LeVin
to serve prison time.
The payout settles a civil suit filed by the men's families shortly after
their deaths.
"The wives and children of the deceased were significantly and permanently
impacted by this incident, and they have indicated … that there exists a
great necessity for restitution which the defendant can, and will, make, if
permitted a sentence devoid of incarceration," LeVin's defense attorney
David Bogenschutz wrote in court documents.
Bogenschutz, who has requested that the Porsche be returned to LeVin, denied
his client had purchased his freedom.
"I think he hardly bought his way out of this," Bogenschutz said after the
court hearing. "We have two victims who have an absolute say in what should
happen in their case. All the judge did was follow the law."
By comparison, a South Florida driver who pleaded guilty to a similar hit-
and-run crash with one fatality was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison
and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution.
Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein called it another case of
a privileged defendant receiving leniency from the justice system, something
rarely afforded a common street criminal.
"It is an outrage, and there should not be a single person in our community
that is not offended by the fact that it is clear you can buy justice in
Broward County," Finkelstein said. "Our clients in similar situations, in
every case, go to prison for substantial periods of time.
"If it is appropriate that you not go to prison when you have money, it
should also be appropriate that you not go to prison when you have no money."
One of eight children, LeVin grew up in his parents' Barrington mansion, a
Tudor-style home with a ballroom and an enormous closet reserved for his
mother's theatrical evening gowns.
His parents, Arthur and Shirley LeVin, made millions from Jewels by Park
Lane, a direct-sales juggernaut that relies on at-home parties and does
about $155 million in sales annually, according to industry estimates.
The couple own several harness racing horses and rank among the sport's
winningest owners. Their most famous gelding, My Boy David, has won nearly $
1.4 million to date, according to the United States Trotting Association.
Shirley LeVin declined to comment when reached by telephone Friday at her
Fort Lauderdale condominium.
Ryan LeVin worked for his parents' company as vice president of national
sales as recently as 2007, according to court records. By 2009, he was
living in South Florida, where his primary job was taking care of his
parents' real estate there.
LeVin's silver-spoon existence will hardly be cramped during his two years
of house arrest, when he is confined to one of his parents' two $600,000
seaside condos. He can exercise in the building's gym, attend church and
does not have to wear an electronic monitor to ensure his whereabouts.
The house arrest will be followed by 10 years of probation. He is prohibited
from driving.
In supporting the sentence, both widows wrote letters to the judge
describing the financial hardships they've suffered since losing their
husbands, who were the sole earners in their families. Watson left behind
three children, and Elford had two daughters.
The widows agreed to LeVin's staying out of prison with certain conditions,
including immediate payment to settle a civil wrongful-death lawsuit they
had filed against him.
"We have been living in uncertainty and financial need," Kirsty Watkinson
wrote. "We need closure so we can start to move on with our lives."
LeVin initially declined to speak in court, but the judge asked him to spit
out his chewing gum, look at the photographs of the men's mangled bodies and
make a statement.
Clearly nervous, his face red and glistening with sweat, LeVin said he was
ashamed and tortured. But he did not say he was sorry.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about this," he said. "I
feel complete shame and compassion for the victims. … My heart goes out to
them. I would just like to say it's a nightmare."
Bogenschutz said after Friday's hearing that his client has learned his
lesson and knows he could wind up in prison if he violates the terms of his
house arrest or probation.
"I think he's grown up a lot," Bogenschutz said. "He understands now how he
has to stay out of trouble. I think this time around was a real eye-opener." | g*****c
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