Neal Augenstein, wtop.com
WASHINGTON — Former Prince George’s County Councilmember Leslie Johnson will ask for probation when sentenced Friday in Greenbelt for her role in her husband’s corruption scandal, but prosecutors say that would violate her plea agreement.
In court documents obtained by WTOP, Johnson’s attorney writes that given the aberrant nature of the former councilmember’s conduct, her acceptance of responsibility and the detrimental effects incarceration would have on her family, she should receive “a sentence of probation, or in the alternative, home detention.”
In a response filing, the U.S. attorney for Maryland argues that seeking probation would violate the plea agreement sentence guidelines, which the government calculated at 12 to 18 months.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors would not comment beyond the public filings about the apparent disagreement over the conditions of the plea deal.
Johnson will be sentenced by District Judge Peter Messitte, who imposed a sentence of more than seven years to Johnson’s husband, former County Executive Jack Johnson, for taking up to $1 million in bribes from developers who did business with the government.
Leslie Johnson pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit witness and evidence tampering.
She stuffed nearly $80,000 in her bra and underwear as FBI agents knocked on the door outside the couple’s home in November 2010.
She also flushed a $100,000 check down the toilet.
Her lawyers say Johnson is “truly remorseful” yet “a sentence of incarceration is greater than necessary in this case … to deter Ms. Johnson from committing future criminal conduct.”
Federal prosecutors have said Johnson should receive a sentence near the top of the sentencing guidelines.
Judge Messitte will interpret whether the agreement was violated when he reads the sentence Friday in federal court.
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