[travrosty]

Originally Posted by vintagewhitesox

I practice in that building and in front of that judge often.
I take a slightly different view, but I understand the ire and anger towards Mastro for what he has done to this hobby.

His lawyers are just acting as zealous advocates for their client. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, a judge can consider both the actual federal guidelines (ussc.gov), as well as something called the "3553(a)" factors, which are characteristics of the defendant that the guidelines don't consider. These factors include the nature and circumstances of the offense, the personal history of the defendant, the risk of recidivism and harm to the public.

I have countless times given character letters to judges recounting my clients good deeds and selfless acts, despite being convicted of drug and gun trafficking, human trafficking, and also wire and health care fraud. The important thing is to sentence the entire person, not just the act for which he's plead guilty.
In that sense, I understand where his attorneys' are coming from. As a collector and someone who has bid in mastro's auctions, is disappointing, to say the least.

There are just so many, good, decent human traffickers out there, this makes me puke.