LAS VEGAS (AP) ó Despite a tearful plea for leniency from O.J. Simpson, a judge Friday sentenced him to 16 years in prison for the kidnapping and robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers.
Simpson would be eligible for parole in nine years under the sentence handed down by Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass.
His sentence came after he apologized to Glass for his conduct.
“In no way did I mean to hurt anybody, to steal anything from anybody,” the former NFL star said. “I just wanted my personal things.”
Earlier, Glass rejected a request by his lawyers to free him pending appeals. Glass also sentenced co-defendant Clarence Stewart to 15 years in prison, and he is eligible for parole after 7 1/2 years.
Simpson, 61, was convicted Oct. 3 for kidnapping and armed robbery, among other charges. The Heisman Trophy winner from USC and NFL Hall of Fame running back is being held at the Clark County Detention Center. His only “contact visits” have been with his defense attorneys Yale Galanter and Gabriel Grasso, who are planning to appeal.
A prosecutor described Simpson as a “ringleader” who deserved a stiffer sentence than Stewart. It was Simpson, he said, who secured the two handguns and rounded up accomplices.
“He chose to use force and violence to take this property,” said Clark County District Attorney David Roger.
Simpson’s defense had asked for the most lenient sentence possible ó six to 17 1/2 years in prison. State parole authorities had recommended at least 18 years in prison.
A lawyer for Simpson noted in court Friday that neither victim was there asking that Simpson be sent to prison.
“I think that says a lot,” said Grasso.
Galanter told the judge that while the gridiron great’s actions “reeked of stupidity,” they were not meant to cause harm.
“In Mr. Simpson’s mind … what he was doing truly was a retrieval of his own property,” Galanter said. “What it was was a highly emotional stupid act that violated the law.”
Among those in the courtroom to hear the sentencing was Fred Goldman, whose son Ronald was slain alongside Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994. Simpson was tried for the murders, but acquitted in 1995.
Given a chance to address the judge, Simpson, dressed in a blue jail-issued uniform and shackled at the waist, spoke in a low voice, wobbling with emotion. He said that before the confrontation with the dealers, he had contacted his ex-wife’s family and told them “I had a chance to get some of our property back.”
Items stolen from him over the years, he said, included precious family heirlooms, his former wife’s wedding ring and a photo of him with President Gerald Ford. He said he hoped to give these to his children.
“This was the first time I had an opportunity to catch the guys red-handed who had been stealing from my family,” he said.
In the spectator’s gallery, his daughter, Arnelle, stared down into her lap.
Galanter has said that the jury of nine women and three men convicted Simpson because of the 1995 acquittal ó not because of what unfolded at the Palace Station hotel here.
The attorney said he hoped the 1995 acquittal ó which capped a lengthy trial that became a national obsession ó wouldn’t sway Glass.
“O.J. comes into court with a lot of baggage,” Galanter said Thursday. “Even though he was acquitted in the mid-’90s, the public perception is that he did it.” A civil jury in 1997 found Simpson liable for the deaths.
Defense attorneys argued that though Simpson showed poor judgment when he and five cohorts carried out $100,000 in footballs, baseballs and lithographs on Sept. 13, 2007, he was merely trying to recover stolen belongings.
Powers reported from Las Vegas and Ryan reported from Los Angeles.