Ex-NFL star Sharper's rape case

A federal judge rejected a plea deal Thursday in Ryan Zimmerman Jerseythe rape case against former NFL star Darren Sharper, saying the nine-year sentence doesn't reflect the seriousness of the alleged assaults against as many as 16 women. ''This court cannot accept this plea agreement,'' U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo told Sharper as he stood before her in orange prison coveralls and shackles. She gave Sharper and his lawyers until March 3 to decide whether to withdraw a guilty plea he entered last year. Sharper had pleaded guilty as part of a deal involving charges in http://www.officialnationalsshop.com/authentic-37-stephen-strasburg-jersey.htmlfour states. He also has pleaded guilty or no contest to similar charges in state courts in California, Arizona, Nevada and Louisiana. He was sentenced to eight years in Arizona but awaits formal sentencing in the other jurisdictions. His attorneys declined comment as they left the courtroom. Earlier this month, http://www.officialnationalsshop.com/authentic-6-anthony-rendon-jersey.htmlSharper's attorneys signaled the unraveling of the plea agreement when they acknowledged in a court filing that they were preparing for a trial. Tania Tetlow, a former federal prosecutor who now is a law professor at Tulane University, said it is unusual for a plea agreement to be rejected by a judge. However, she also noted that agreements that include a specific sentence, such as the Sharper case, also are rare. ''Usually, a federal plea agreement does not bind the judge as much Aaron Dobson Jerseyas this one would have,'' Tetlow said. Sharper's federal plea deal called for a nine-year prison sentence if he were to comply with a lengthy list of requirements, including cooperation with authorities in the case against two co-defendants in Louisiana. Milazzo noted a http://www.patriotsofficialnflproshop.com/AUTHENTIC+ALAN+BRANCH+JERSEYpre-sentence report compiled by federal authorities and federal sentencing guidelines that called for a sentence between 15 to 20 years. ''The defendant ordinarily would face consecutive sentences on each of the charged rapes, so the plea deal offered a significant benefit in addition to the opportunity to serve most of his time federally,'' Tetlow said. ''Now Sharper will have to make a decision on whether to go to trial in federal court or plead guilty again and face the unfettered decision of the judge.'' The federal indictment charged Sharper with distributing the drugs alprazolam, diazepam and zolpidem - more commonly known by the brand names Xanax, Valium and Ambien - with the intent to commit rape.