‘Sorry’ may get ‘shooter’ a wrist slap
A Brooklyn judge is secretly considering cutting a deal that would give a gangbanger a slapon-the-wrist sentence in an attempted-murder case — as long as he says he’s sorry, The Post has learned.
Acting Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Johnson has been weighing sentencing accused gunman Donte Simpson to just five years behind bars for the May 2021 shooting that left the 17-year-old victim paralyzed for life, lawenforcement sources said.
That’s as long as Simpson (upper inset) — an alleged member of the violent street gang Focus On Paper — writes a letter expressing remorse, according to the sources. “This is the Montessori School version of the criminal-justice system,” fumed one law-enforcement source. “Shoot a 17-year-old and write an apology.” Simpson was arrested in September 2021 for allegedly opening fire on a street in Crown Heights, striking the teen in the neck. It doesn’t appear the victim was the intended victim, according to sources.
The crime was part of a string of shootings tied to “Focus On Paper” — an offshoot of the Brooklyn-based Wooo, or We On Our Own, crew that operates out of the Ocean Hill Houses in Brownsville — which took place at around the same time, the sources said.
“[The victim] is facing a life sentence to a wheelchair, but [Johnson] thinks the shooter should walk away with five years and an apology,” another source said. “And she’s protecting this defendant from the press? Maybe she should try to protect society from this perp.”
Simpson was indicted on charges of attempted murder, assault and weapons possession and pleaded not guilty. He’s been out on a $350,000 bond in the case since last November, according to court records and sources. Judge Jessica Earle-Gargan set the amount. Prosecutors had asked for a $500,000 bail or $1 million bond.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said prosecutors are seeking a 15-year sentence in the case but declined to comment further.
In court on Wednesday, Johnson (lower inset) discussed “the submission” with prosecutors and Simpson’s lawyers, saying it “is not part of the court record” — a reference to the secret letter, sources said.
But because the letter has not been read into the official court record, it remains under wraps — as does the alleged planned backroom deal. Johnson, who was appointed to the Criminal Court bench in 2013 by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, abruptly canceled Wednesday’s court appearance by Simpson after she learned The Post was in the courtroom.
The proposed letter-writing deal came as a surprise to the victim’s grandmother, who told The Post prosecutors notified her of the possible five-year sentence but never mentioned the apology note.
“I don’t agree with that at all,” said Delores Myers, 61.
The shooting left her grandson in a wheelchair, Myers said, adding he “is basically learning to do everything over again.”
The state Office of Court Administration on Thursday denied that there was an apologyfor-leniency deal in place.