Judge Delays Sentencing of Ex-DEA Agent Garcia
A federal judge in Los Angeles, critical of prosecutors for publicly filing a sentencing memorandum, on Monday delayed for a week the sentencing of former drug agent Darnell Garcia.
U.S. District Court Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. told Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joyce A. Karlan and Stefan D. Stein that he read a story about the memo in The Times before he could review it himself.
The media has some right to see documents, he said, but “not necessarily before the court does.” He ordered that further sentencing documents be delivered under seal.
Garcia, 44, of Rancho Palos Verdes, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, was convicted last April of drug trafficking and money laundering.
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