After much speculation that a light sentence was coming, yesterday a Manhattan court finalized the plea bargain deal that will allow George Anderson get out of jail after a sentence of a mere 15 days for the hit-and-run death of Florence Cioffi. Anderson, a Wall Street CEO, was reportedly drunk at the time of the accident, but his blood alcohol levels were not checked until he was in custody hours later. Outside the court room, Cioffi's fiance told reporters, "The arm of the law was not present in this case."
Anderson was remorseful in court, reading a statement that said, "I live every moment with the horror of this event. I know that my contrition is of no use to a family who has lost someone." He will also do 200 hours of community service and lose his license for six months.
Prosectuor David Hammer explained that the DA's office struck a deal with Anderson because he said, "We cannot prove vehicular homicide. We cannot prove criminally negligent homicide." Despite the fact that Ms. Cioffi was also intoxicated, Hammer emphasized, "Ms. Cioffi is not to blame here. As a district attorney, I have to look at what I can prove."
Cioffi's family tried to get the judge to rescind the deal to no avail. Their lawyer said, "A rich man got away with murder, and the district attorney is complicit in it." The family will now move forward with a civil suit.
