Prosecutors Suggest 3-Month Prison Sentence For Gilbert Arenas On Gun Charges

[The Streets Don't Love You Back]

Prosecutors Suggest 3-Month Prison Sentence For Gilbert Arenas On Gun Charges

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(Bloomberg) -- Prosecutors have recommended that the Washington Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas receive a three-month prison sentence for a felony gun conviction.

Arenas, who is scheduled to be sentenced March 26, also would receive three years probation and 300 hours of community service if District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin agrees with recommendations requested in the sentencing memo filed today by prosecutors.

The 28-year-old Arenas pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to carrying a handgun without a license. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors said they would not ask for more than six months in jail. Morin is not bound by the accord.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh said in the memo that the government’s recommendation was based on evidence that contradicts Arenas’s claims about when and why he had the weapons in the team’s Verizon Center locker room, and that Arenas repeatedly minimized his culpability.

“The defendant’s conduct since the time of the incident establishes that he has shown little genuine remorse for anything other than how this incident may affect his career,” the memo said.

The defense’s sentencing memo said attention to the high-profile case had “led to the development of a caricature that bears little resemblance” to Arenas.

“He is a genuinely caring person, he has long devoted himself to serving the community and others, and despite a history of pranks and misguided practical jokes, he is a peaceful man who is not aggressive or confrontational in any way,” said the memo prepared by defense attorney Kenneth Wainstein.

Locker Room Confrontation

The case began with an argument over money that teammate Javaris Crittenton lost to Arenas in a card game on a Dec. 19 team flight from Phoenix and led to both players displaying weapons in the locker room. Both players were suspended for the rest of the National Basketball Association season on Jan. 27.