Former Alabama judge faces prison time; prosecutors cite 'audacity and wickedness' of crimes [View all]
State prosecutors this week delivered a scathing description of former Limestone County Judge Doug Patterson in a court filing asking that he be ordered to serve five years in prison.
“The audacity and wickedness of Patterson’s crimes cannot be overstated: he stole from the disabled, he stole from the dead, and he stole from the children of Limestone County,” prosecutors from the Alabama Attorney General’s Office wrote in the filing on Wednesday. “In short, Patterson stole from those who couldn’t protect themselves.”
Patterson, 38, pleaded guilty last month to three felony charges of using his position for personal gain, financial exploitation of the elderly and theft. He will be sentenced Dec. 8 by Judge Steven Haddock, who was specially appointed to the case after Limestone County’s judges recused.
Patterson stole nearly $73,000 from a juvenile court fund and two of his former legal clients. Prosecutors said he wrote 70 checks to himself from the court fund, which he oversaw as a district judge. In their sentencing recommendation, prosecutors wrote that Patterson stole $7,500 from the fund just 32 days after he became a judge.
Read more: https://www.al.com/news/2020/11/former-alabama-judge-faces-prison-time-prosecutors-cite-audacity-and-wickedness-of-crimes.html
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