Judge cuts sentence
Prison term for disbarred lawyer in Rothstein fraud reduced by 20 months
Disbarred lawyer Douglas Bates, who is serving a federal prison term for his role in Scott Rothstein’s investment fraud, is getting a break for helping prosecutors.
A federal judge granted a joint request from the prosecution and defense to shave 20 months off Bates’ prison term.
The former Plantation lawyer, 56, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and admitted he wrote fraudulent letters that helped Rothstein keep his $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme going.
Bates, of Parkland, was originally sentenced to five years in federal prison and has already served more than one year of his punishment.
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks signed an order Friday agreeing to reduce Bates’ sentence to three years and four months. With standard time off for good behavior, he will likely be released after he has served two years and 10 months.
Prosecutors recommended the sentence reduction because Bates cooperated and helped them prosecute two fired Broward Sheriff’s deputies, David Benjamin and Jeff Poole, and disbarred lawyer, Russell Adler. All three men pleaded guilty to crimes related to the Rothstein scandal and are serving prison terms.
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