Updated August 26, 2011 at 03:10 pm
Coto de Caza, CA - Coto de Caza's and former Tesoro HS student, Omar Shahid Khan pleaded guilty on March 21, 2011, to two felony counts of commercial burglary and one felony count each of altering public records, stealing or removing public records, and attempting to steal or remove public records. At the sentencing today, judge Thomas Goethals dismissed four of the felony counts and reduced the fifth, attempting to steal or remove public records, to a misdemeanor. Khan was sentenced today to 30 days in jail, three years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay over $14,900 in restitution.
Khan's co-defendant Tanvir Singh, 21, Ladera Ranch,
pleaded guilty Sept. 9, 2008, to one felony count of attempting to steal or
remove public records and one misdemeanor count of computer access and fraud.
He was sentenced on that date to 200 hours of community service and three years
of formal probation.
Now, this is where the Orange County Justice System kicks in. On June 17, 2008, Khan was charged with 34 felony counts of altering a public record, 11 felony counts of stealing and secreting a public record, seven felony counts of computer access and fraud, six felony counts of burglary, four felony counts of identity theft, three felony counts of altering a book of records, two felony counts of receiving stolen property, one felony count of conspiracy, and one felony count of attempted altering of a public record.
According to the OCDA's office, Khan faced a maximum sentence of 38 years and four months in prison if convicted. A high-powered lawyer and two years later, all the charges get reduced to a misdemeanor and the threatened years in jail turn into a slap of the wrist. We have asked the OCDA's office for an explanation as to what happened. Seems like the OCDA roared like a lion and went our like Mary's Little Lamb.
We caught up with OCDA's spokesperson Farrah Emami and asked her to comment on the significant difference between the OCDA's starting point, from 34 felony counts to one misdemeanor. Ms. Emami objected to our observation that there appears to be a significant difference in sentencing between the haves and the have nots. Ms. Emami also noted that based on the merits of the case, the OCDA's office feels justice was served. The key here is that our observation about sentencing differences is not necessarily related to the quality of the prosecution and or defense, as much as what the judges decide. In this case, judge Thomas Goethals dismissed four of the felony counts and reduced the fifth, attempting, to a misdemeanor. Trust this is not an min-OJ in the making.
We caught up with OCDA's spokesperson Farrah Emami and asked her to comment on the significant difference between the OCDA's starting point, from 34 felony counts to one misdemeanor. Ms. Emami objected to our observation that there appears to be a significant difference in sentencing between the haves and the have nots. Ms. Emami also noted that based on the merits of the case, the OCDA's office feels justice was served. The key here is that our observation about sentencing differences is not necessarily related to the quality of the prosecution and or defense, as much as what the judges decide. In this case, judge Thomas Goethals dismissed four of the felony counts and reduced the fifth, attempting, to a misdemeanor. Trust this is not an min-OJ in the making.
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