| Maryland, US (Washington Post) – Jason Miskiri, a local basketball star who briefly made it to the pros before opening a successful Silver Spring restaurant and nightclub, has been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in aJailed: Jason Miskiri$12 million drug ring.Miskiri, 40,Lionel Messi Barcelona Jersey, already had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than a ton of marijuana. U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced him yesterday to two years less prison time than the government was seeking.In a courtroom packed with more than 70 family members and friends, Miskiri, wearing a fitted blue suit, blue-and-white checkered shirt and a red tie, made an emotional appeal for leniency.“My conduct is inexcusable,” he tearfully told the judge. “I truly regret what I did. The actions I’ve taken betrayed everything that I have ever attempted to accomplish.”As Miskiri spoke, sobs and sniffles could be heard from his many supporters. And after the judge handed down his sentence and left the courtroom, they applauded, clearly grateful that Miskiri’s sentence was not as harsh as it could have been.The charge typically carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, but Miskiri had agreed to tell prosecutors who else was involved in the crimes, and to detail his role in exchange for a more lenient sentence.As part of Miskiri’s guilty plea, the government seized ownership of his restaurant, the Society Restaurant & Lounge, a popular upscale Silver Spring nightspot that Miskiri admitted to investigators was established with proceeds from his drug business.Miskiri’s arrest and conviction shook friends, former teammates and coaches who had watched him progress from star point guard at Montgomery Blair High School to captain of the 1999 George Mason University team and, ultimately, to a short stint in the National Basketball Association for the Charlotte Hornets.Jim Larranaga, his coach at George Mason,JaWuan James Dolphins Jersey, was in disbelief when he first heard of the charges against Miskiri.“There must be something wrong with this story,Cheap NFL Jerseys China,” he told The Washington Post earlier this year. “He’s not the kind of young man who would ever let himself get involved in these matters.”Miskiri,Jerome Brown Eagles Jersey, the youngest of five children who moved to Maryland from Guyana when he was five to join his mother, was active in his community. He hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the homeless and donated to charities. And he held a basketball camp each summer for local kids. At his restaurant in Silver Spring,Adidas Pekka Rinne Jersey, he posted a motto to capture the spirit: “Good food. Good people. Good will.”But many of the people who knew Miskiri were unaware of his double life. They didn’t know that in March 2009,http://www.cheapcustomjerseys.us.com/MLB/Custom-Baltimore-Orioles/, a Texas trooper discovered 200 pounds of marijuana packed into suitcases of a Lincoln Town Car that Miskiri had rented and was riding in. They didn’t know that he had told investigators that he became involved in drug trafficking through connections from his professional basketball career. And they didn’t know that prosecutors believed that between 2010 and 2011, more than four tons of marijuana were delivered to another restaurant owned by Miskiri. |
