Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 25, 1995 TAG: 9504260071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium
Strawberry was not fined, but must pay about $350,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties. He is allowed to play baseball, including traveling to road games and practices, while serving his sentence.
``I'm very pleased. It's a blessed day for me and my family,'' Strawberry said.
The sentence was unexpectedly light. Strawberry had agreed to serve three months in prison. But U.S. District Judge Barrington Parker Jr. exercised his right to disregard the plea agreement and determine the penalty on his own.
``We are disappointed that the judge did not impose the agreed-upon sentence,'' said U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White.
Parker also sentenced Strawberry to three years' probation, 100 hours of community service and mandatory drug counseling. Probation officials in California will set the date for the start of Strawberry's home detention. He will not be required to wear an electronic monitoring device.
Strawberry is not be eligible to play until June 24. He was suspended for the first 60 days of the season Feb.6 after testing positive for cocaine. The San Francisco Giants then released him.
He pleaded guilty Feb.9 to one felony count of tax evasion for failing to report thousands of dollars of income - usually in bundles of cash - he got at autograph-signing shows in the late 1980s. Taxes on that money would have been $101,000.
The judge admonished Strawberry for using drugs while the case was pending, a violation of his pretrial probation.
Strawberry said he used cocaine because he was agonizing over his predicament.
by CNB