150 Years Aint Nothing!

After Bernie Madoff’s 150-year sentence last month, who woulda thought that someone could get more time than that?

Arthur Sease, a former Memphis police officer who also was an aspiring rap music producer, is the main defendant from a series of public-corruption investigations that over the past six years that have produced indictments and guilty pleas from more than 48 law enforcement officers from six different agencies. Sease also is the first to take his case to a trial.

"It's been like a black cloud over my head," said Sease, adding that he has been in federal custody for 30 months waiting for his case to be heard. "I'm ready to get it behind me and get it over with and let God make a decision."

Well, the jury and not God made a decision. Guilty on 44 counts stemming from shakedowns of drug dealers for money, drugs and merchandise. Sease's convictionincluded conspiracy charges involving drugs, extortion, civil rights violations, kidnapping, money laundering and illegal use of firearms.

After refusing a plea deal and a lighter sentence, this cat demanded a trial and was convicted in February on so many damned counts of official corruption that it took the judge half an hour to read the jury's verdict. His sentence announced Tuesday:


life in prison, plus a mandatory consecutive 255 years

"This is not an illusory sentence," said U.S. Dist. Court Judge Jon McCalla, noting there is no parole in the federal system. "This is a real one in which the numbers are real and the punishment is genuine. It is a long sentence and it is what is required by the law, the facts and the circumstances."

The five co-defendants in this case got off by pleading guilty and cooperating with investigators.

Former reserve officer Andrew Hunt: 19 years in prison, later reduced to 10 years after testifying against Sease

Former officer Antoine Owens: 5 years, 3 months

Former officer Alexander Johnson: 2 years, 6 months

Civilian Laterrica Woods: 3 years

Former officer Harold McCall: 3 years probation


According to evidence and testimony in his nine-day trial, Sease conspired with drug dealers to arrange drug buys, then robbed those dealers as they arrived or left the designated location and 16 similar robberies were committed between 2003 and 2006 before one dealer complained to the police that Sease had robbed him of $32,000 in cash. I wonder how that cat came to the conclusion that he was gonna go to the cops and tell them that a cop robbed him of his drug money!

Damned good thing he didn't kill their dog too!