Alison Siegler on the New Plea Deal in Drug Stash House Cases

Under pressure by judges, prosecutors to offer plea deals in controversial drug stash house cases

Under unusual pressure from federal judges, prosecutors said Wednesday they plan to offer plea deals to 43 men charged in drug stash house ripoff stings that have come under fire for alleged racial bias.

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Attorney Alison Siegler, who represents the defendants in the overarching issue of alleged racial bias, told Castillo that prosecutors have offered to drop counts that carry mandatory minimum sentences — a move that would lead to dramatically less prison time for most defendants.

“This is a very significant change of course, and we’d like to engage with the government on this,” said Siegler, director of the Federal Criminal Justice Clinic at University of Chicago.

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