The father of a Grand Rapids man sentenced to 13 months in prison for deleting financial documents says he and his son made a terrible mistake. The older man blames himself for his son’s legal problems and says he was just being a good son.
MLive reports that the two men own three bars in the Grand Rapids area. Prosecutors and the IRS claim they embezzled $400,000 from the businesses and then destroyed records. On April 12, the younger defendant was sentenced to a year and a month in prison, and a year of supervised released. The father’s sentencing hearing is on July 10.
The father says that he alone should be held responsible for the deleted files, which were point-of-sale records. In a letter to the judge at the son’s sentencing, the father wrote that he is not “computer savvy” and that he asked his son to delete the records “with the intent of hiding my wrongdoing.”
“I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for involving my son in this conduct,” the father wrote.
The 13-month sentence is significantly shorter than the 18 months in prison that prosecutors sought. The MLive article does not say how the judge decided on the sentence.
When accused of a white collar crime, it can make a big difference having an experienced defense attorney working for you. A tenacious defense lawyer will help you contest the charges or negotiate a plea bargain when that is the best option.
In virtually every criminal case, there are options. Speak to a defense attorney as soon as possible after an arrest or criminal charge.