NBA star Gilbert Arenas may have avoided jail time for his conviction on the gun charges stemming from a locker-room confrontation with a teammate, but he is not completely out of the water.
Yesterday (March 26) District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin ordered that Arenas spend 30 days in a halfway house as a result of his conviction, as well as conduct 400 hours of community service and pay a $5,000 fine.
Prosecutors who were notably upset with the verdict, wanted Arenas to go to jail for a minimum of three months for what they claim was a cover up due to Arenas allegedly lying repeatedly about why the guns were in the locker room. Prosecutors also say that the incident was a pre-meditated, because Arenas tried to cover up the details about what actually happened during the altercation.
“If any other individual — without the fame, power, and the wealth of this defendant — brought four firearms into Washington, D.C., for the purpose of a similar confrontation,” they would surely go to jail, U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh wrote in court papers.
Arenas’ lawyers pursued probation and community service, arguing that the suspended athlete was playing a misguided prank with no intention to harm anybody. They also point out that the guns were unloaded, stating that Arenas’ lighthearted comments about the incident were misinterpreted, and that he’s a good role model who excelled at community service.
Arenas apologized in court for his actions, saying, “Every day, I wake up wishing it did not happen.”
Arenas pleaded guilty to violating the city’s gun laws in a Dec. 21 incident at Verizon Center. After an argument over an unpaid gambling debt, Arenas brought several guns to the team locker room and set them in front of Javaris Crittenton’s locker with a sign telling him to “Pick one.”
Arenas entered his guilty plea Jan. 15.
