The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
A lawyer who worked with the state attorney general's office pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of possessing marijuana.
Steven Lederman had originally been charged with a felony. Substitute General District Judge Peter G. Decker Jr. found Lederman guilty but said he would revisit that ruling in December.
"I'm going to see how he does for six months," Decker said. "I'll probably accept the plea agreement but I want to look into what it is and see how things come out."
Lederman was arrested in February after police got a tip that he traveled to Washington, D.C., to buy marijuana and then brought the drugs to his home to package and resell.
Norfolk police followed Lederman to Washington and Richmond, then stopped him for a traffic infraction once he returned to Norfolk. Police found marijuana wrapped as a Christmas present in Lederman's van, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Before beginning the hearing, Decker said he knew Lederman, and asked Williamsburg Commonwealth's Attorney Nate Green and defense attorney James Broccoletti if they objected to him hearing the case. Neither side objected.
Green withdrew charges of carrying a concealed weapon and failure to signal. Decker said he would accept Lederman's plea to the marijuana possession charge and treat him as a first offender. Green argued against a first offender finding.
"It's the commonwealth's position that he should not be treated the same as a person who got stopped for speeding and had a little bit of marijuana," Green said. "The commonwealth is giving up something, and Mr. Lederman is giving up something" under the terms of his plea.
But Decker, looking into the courtroom where Lederman's family was seated, said: "His father has been a pillar of the community as long as I can remember."
Decker also recalled representing a lawyer decades ago who had a substance abuse problem. "That judge had enough sense to look at things in the light most favorable to the individual," he said. Decker said his client overcame his addiction.
Broccoletti said Lederman has voluntarily attended counseling, submitted to random drug testing and outpatient treatment, and participated in recovery programs for substance abusers.
Lederman lost his job at the attorney general's office because of the arrest, Broccoletti said. Lederman had worked for the office in the Division of Child Support Enforcement since 1997.
Decker ordered Lederman to return to court in December.
Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287, michelle.washington@pilotonline.com
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The Good Ole Boy Network Alive and Well
From the Pilot: Police found marijuana wrapped as a Christmas present in Lederman's van, according to a search warrant affidavit.
From Norfolk Insider: "He had a pistol in his car but it was legal as an assistant attorney general is lawfully allowed to carry the concealed weapon. It was also locked in a gun box and the key was not even on Mr. Lederman or in the car." He had a pistol in his car but it was legal as an assistant attorney general is lawfully allowed to carry the concealed weapon. It was also locked in a gun box and the key was not even on Mr. Lederman or in the car. Well it would seem to me that all bets are off when a commonwealth's attorney violates drug laws.
Does anyone think Decker would have let off John Q. Public for the same offense if Mr. Public had a CCW and three ounces of mairjuana wrapped in Christmas paper? Don't bet on it. Justice is supposed to be blind, not because the man's father has been a pillar to the community. Spare me this rubbish.
bottom line on Lederman
The bottom line on this case is that Lederman got the same result any other defendant would get under the same facts with the same lack of criminal record. The Judge did what the law allowed. The prosecutor offered the fair and just agreement based on the facts. The weapon was legal, period. It was legal in D.C. as well(do your homework). It's a fact that the weight was three ounces. Whoever wrote that he's an embarrassment to your profession should think about the saying concerning prior sin and throwing stones. If nearly 50% of the population in this country has smoked marijuana, according to the most recent studies, then there wouldn't be many lawyers left if marijuana use was a professional disqualifier. Everyone makes mistakes. Reckless driving carries a potentially more serious punishment than possession of marijuana. Anyone out there ever driven more than 20 mph over the speed limit? If so, you could get 12 months in jail where the marijuana user could only get 30 days for a first offense. This shouldn't even be a story.
Yeah, something doesn't smell right here...
While I'll be the first to admit that DCSE's attorney aren't the brightest when it comes to lawyers, something doesn't sound right...according to a prior poster, this guy had less than three ounces...but, if that were true, why would he drive to DC to get only three ounces of pot when one could probably find a similar quantity for much less money and effort this idiot expended.
I would imagine that prior to filing charges against Lederman, the Norfolk PD would have weighed the marijuana seized and it exceeded the amount necessary to have charged this idiot with possession with intent...the gun should likely have been included as a element of the crime, which under Project Exile, should have been an extra FIVE YEARS.
Further, while it may not have been a crime for Lederman to carry the weapon around Virginia, it most likely was a crime when he crossed into DC with the weapon.
Finally, if he's being treated under "first offender status" with respect to this incident, it sounds like the charge will be dismissed either in December or at some point afterward.
Ms. Williams, the reporter who wrote this piece has chosen to ignore the thousands of people Lederman has cau
if you knew the facts...
It seems as though less than 5% of the people posting on this site know any of the facts of the case. Unfortunately that is not your fault but rather the blame lies at the feet of the Virginia Pilot. They have the facts of this case but don"t want to print them. I wonder why that is.
Here are the facts:
Mr Lederman was an assistant attorney general when he was arrested for these crimes. He bought marijuana in Washington and brought it back to Virginia. It was 3 ounces or less. He had a pistol in his car but it was legal as an assistant attorney general is lawfully allowed to carry the concealed weapon. It was also locked in a gun box and the key was not even on Mr. Lederman or in the car. There were no additional facts to support the charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. The prosecutor admitted in open court that the evidence in the case supported only simple possession and that's why the prosecutor made a motion to reduce the charge. The gun charge was dropped as Lederman should never have even been charged with that because he had not broken that law.
I am in court frequently and I was there that day. I DO NOT represent Mr. Lederman, b
Unusual?
Well Amy. How about the treatment of Ryan Fredrick? Here is a similar circumstance where a search warrant was obtained by a "tip" from a person who, appeared to have committed a crime of breaking and entering on behalf of the Chesapeake Police to give them that so called "tip". Then give him less than 30 seconds to assess who is out there before crashing the door. It was also (as I understand it) never proven that RF was a dealer, but grew the stuff for his personal use. I have no problem with people using marijuana for their personal use, whether they be lawyers, or DEA agents. However, this case on it's face appears to give this former prosecutor a slap on the wrist because Pete Decker knew him, Decker was acting as substitute judge, and being technically a LEO. On its face, it gives the appearance of the good o'le boy network is alive and well. Something stinks in the garden about this.
Lots Of Anger, Few Facts
The distribution charge was dropped because there was absolutely no evidence to support the charge. As far as special treatment, he did indeed receive unusual treatment. Unusually harsh treatment. Under the circumstances and with the facts of this case, the defendant would be given first offender 100% of the time. He was not given this. The newspaper fails to report on anything other than the original charge which was based on a tip, I believe, given by a soon to be ex wife. Despite the either lazy or agenda laced reporting of Ms Washington, the fact is that the charges were reduced from the original ones because the facts warranted it. The guy smokes weed. There's plenty of folks out there who do and rarely do they have their lives and careers ruined if they get caught. He's not a dealer and the ONLY evidence to support that charge was the tip. Everything discovered during interviews and searches point clearly to personal use. I hope all of you calling for blood never find yourself in a position where a judge and/or prosecutor feel politically pressured to hammer you beyond what is appropriate. Good luck Mr Lederman.
Equitable Laws
Laws must be equitable, across the board, for the rich and powerful as for the poor and weak. This case smells badly of favoriteism, eliteism and injustice. Fie on both Decker and the accused.
We need to either treat all drug users and dealers the same, or, even better, decriminalize drug use. Decriminalization of personal drug use would be the best way to go for many reasons.
People, people, people!
I hear your comments. I see your names on all of the comment posts. Politicians don't read this. Write to the, e-mail them, go to a council meeting, get out and vote.
LIVE LOUDER!
Sedition is an American tradition!
Could this be a case of empathy?
A lawyer can make a better judgement in sentencing another friend lawyer. Is Peter G. Decker, Jr. a nominee for The U. S. Supreme Court? Hmmmm..
I personally feel from a freedom standpoint that I who owns my own body should be able to introduce any substance into my body that I choose to regardless of whether or not it is legal to do so. As long as one does not subject others to injury or death for such action (like driving a vehicle while high). Heaven help us if there is ever enough government to protect us from ourselves.
However, since that is not the case now, I have to ditto JimmyF on his post. Had it been a anyone else like John Q. Public, I don't believe substitute judge Pete Decker, Jr. would have shown such compassion and empathy.... sorry.... There I go again...
hmmm
. . . I wonder if lawyer pot is any good. Or, do you spend alot of money and get hardly anything in return?