|
Telfair, a former first-round draft pick who
played 10 seasons in the NBA, was arrested in January 2017 and
convicted in April 2019 of one count of second-degree criminal
possession of a weapon. Firearms and marijuana were recovered by
police from Telfair's vehicle during a traffic stop.
"This defendant exercised his right to a jury trial and was
found guilty of possessing an illegal firearm," Gonzalez said in
a statement. "The mandatory prison sentence he received today is
required by law and he has now been held accountable for the
unlawful conduct."
The New York Post reported that Telfair had an emotional
outburst in court after the sentence was announced.
"Please don't take me from society right now," he said,
according to the Post. "I am 34. I can go play in China for six
years and take care of my family. I'm waiting for my daughter
right now to get her period. Real mental illness because I
wasn't around. ... She hasn't even gotten her period yet."
A yelling and crying Telfair then said, the Post reported,
"Sebastian Telfair is going to jail for a ... victimless crime.
Put a gun in his hand and fight for us n--a. ... I go to the gun
store. I got an American Express."
The Brooklyn native, who was drafted by Portland in 2004, played
for the Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves,
Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto
Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder. His career NBA scoring
average was 7.4 points per game.
As a point guard at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, he
was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2004.
--Field Level Media
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
