Michael Recio gets three months house arrest
Federal prosecutors wanted jail time, but Michael Recio, former bodyguard to the late Mayor Frank Melton, was sentenced this morning to three months house arrest and a year of probation for his role in a August 2006 warrantless raid on a suspected drug house in Virden Addition.
Recio did not make a statement in court and left the federal courthouse without talking to reporters. Cynthia Stewart, his attorney, said he was glad it was over.
“This has been a long ordeal at considerable cost to the taxpayer,” she said.
Recio’s sentence, which includes a $500 fine, was only slightly more severe than the one handed down Wednesday to fellow bodyguard Marcus Wright. Wright, who assisted the Justice Department by testifying against Recio and Melton, was sentenced to a year of probation and a $500 fine.
Both men are prohibited from seeking a job in law enforcement for a year.
CL
9/10/9
Magnolia Tribune
