Federal Prison for Giants Employee Convicted of Embezzlement

Robin O’Connor was sentenced to 21 months in a federal penitentiary after admitting to the embezzling of $2.2 million from the Giants baseball team. Ms. O’Connor, a former payroll manager, worked for the Giants since 2007. She was arrested in July 2011 and entered a guilty plea four months later.

The federal judge selected the sentence of 21 months which was recommended by the probation department. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines which are often used to determine the maximum potential sentence facing an accused in federal court, called for a sentence of 33 to 41 months. These sentencing guidelines are however in most cases just that, guidelines. Federal judges often depart from the guidelines and consider other factors which are not accounted for otherwise. A federal defense attorney’s job in sentencing is to present well prepared arguments supported by facts in order to convince a federal judge to depart downward from the guidelines. It is important to note that a victim also has an opportunity to present their view on what the ultimate sentence should be.

In Ms. O’Connor’s case, her federal defense attorney argued that the judge should sentence Ms. O’Connor to nothing more than one year of house arrest. In contrast, the attorney for the Giants argued for a much longer sentence, stating that in their view Ms. O’Connor has not accepted responsibility.

If you are being investigated or have been charged with federal or state embezzlement or fraud charges call our experience team of defense attorneys early in the process. We may be able to work with you in attempting to reduce the seriousness of the charges filed or avoid criminal charges altogether.