The New York Times is reporting that Giants’ receiver Plaxico Burress is likely to face jail time as part of his possible plea bargain.
Prosecutors commonly offer reduced charges in gun possession cases, taking into consideration things like a defendant’s criminal history, the reason for carrying the gun and the circumstances surrounding an arrest.
In Mr. Burress’s case, prosecutors may consider that he had been cooperative and that he did not appear to have a dubious motive in carrying the gun. The weapon was licensed in Florida, but the permit had expired when Mr. Burress was arrested. Even if the permit were still valid, he would not have been allowed to carry the weapon in New York because the permit was from out of state. Other mitigating factors might be that the gun appeared to go off by accident, and that Mr. Burress was the only person injured in the shooting, which occurred at the Latin Quarter nightclub.
Last year, 986 cases in New York involving the same charges as Mr. Burress faces were resolved, and 90 percent of them resulted in convictions for less serious crimes, half of them misdemeanors or violations, said John M. Caher, a spokesman for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
The reduced charges in such cases include crimes like third-degree gun possession or attempted possession. Convictions on those charges allow for sentences of two years or less.
I find it kind of interesting that this report came out a day after the New York Daily News reported that the Giants wouldn’t pursue Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards. If Plax does wind up serving jail time, there’s no doubt that the Jints have to do something at receiver. Whether that’s acquiring a big name like Boldin or Edwards I don’t know, but they can’t go into next season with only Mario Manningham and Sinorice Moss.
