NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)- A federal judge has rejected a plea agreement in the case against former New Orleans Saint Darren Sharper, charged with drugging and raping women in several states, including Louisiana.
Judge Jane Triche Milazzo refused the deal because the 10-year prison sentence stipulated in the agreement is far less than the minimum sentence recommended by federal guidelines. In court, she said, “In light of the nature of the offense and the history of the defendant, the deal is inappropriate.”
A pre-sentencing report recommended a 15 to 20-year sentence, but the judge says that’s not enough considering the ‘seriousness’ of these crimes.
In May of 2015, Sharper pleaded guilty in a global agreement to address rape and drug charges in four separate states.
On Thursday, Judge Milazzo told Sharper that he does have the right to withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial with his case.
She also said that if he stood by his guilty plea, she would take into account a report that says Sharper may have drugged and raped as many as 16 women, possibly imposing a much harsher sentence than called for in the plea agreement.
Sharper’s attorney has asked for some time for him and Sharper to decide whether or not to withdraw his guilty plea.
Sharper is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2016.
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