The other day i had the pleasure of sitting in ABP with Richard Margolius. What a rock star. (Ric Zweig) Yeah i know what some of you will say. He’s got long hair, is a bit eccentric and has that look like he is going to throw your ass in jail if you speak out of turn. But who else would have the cojones these days to take a 25 years min man and offer a 366 just because he believed it was the right thing to do??? Some years ago while a public defender i had a young lady who was 17 years old. Her and her boyfriend had gone to Columbia and come back with enough powder to get a her a 25 year min man. Fortunately for the adult boyfriend he was arrested and tried by the feds and ended up with a little jail and probation while my girl was charged in state court because of her age and subject to the mandatory minimum of 25 years. For months I battled with narcotics and the state attorney pit prosecutors, pleading and begging for her not to have to serve the 25 year min man. No success. But one day Richard Margolius fell from the heavens and covered for Judge Dennis. My girl was a great student, I showed her grades, showed pictures of her family, explained how she was set up and lied to by the much older dead beat boyfriend who was serving federal probation and moments later, Richard Margolius did the ballsiest thing i have seen any judge do in my 11 years of practice. He went bellow the min man and gave her a year and a day on top of the time she was in on already (she had been in for 9 months already).

They just don’t make them like that anymore!