Federal prosecutors say Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas who initially refused to cooperate with investigators then repeatedly lied about why he carried four unloaded handguns into the Verizon Center locker room then tried to minimize his dust-up with his teammate, all in an effort to mislead police deserves jail time.

In a scathing sentencing memo, 61 pages in length, prosecutors urged a D.C. Superior Court judge to sentence the disgraced athlete to at least three months in jail. The memo included new details into the December 2009 locker room tussle with teammate Javaris Crittenton.

The lengthy, scathing memo read, "At one point, Arenas denied that Crittenton was even in the locker room. The day after the locker room confrontation, the defendant tried to orchestrate a cover-up to conceal his confrontation with Crittenton, a campaign that would continue . . . for some time. The suspect wrote a text message to Crittenton in which he tried to get Crittenton to deny the confrontation."

Arenas, 28, pleaded guilty on Jan. 15 in Superior Court in Washington, D.C. to a felony count of carrying a pistol without a license. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to ask for more than six months in jail. Prosecutors also agreed to allow Arenas to remain free until his sentencing this Friday.

Arenas's attorney, Kenneth L. Wainstein, sent his own sentencing memo Tuesday, arguing that his client should not be locked up, suggesting six months probation in addition to two years of community service instead. Wainstein, who referred to the incident as a "misguided prank," added that the joking nature Arenas displayed is simply how he deals with pressure.

"It is clear that the incident was not intended to be violent, but was rather a very misguided attempt to play a prank to provoke a reaction from Crittenton," Wainstein's memo read.

In a statement Crittenton gave prosecutors, he alleged that during a flight from Arizona, he and Arenas got into an argument over a card game. Crittenton admitted that he suggested the two fight, but Arenas began threatening to shoot him and Crittenton replied with his own threats.

In taking Arenas's threats seriously, Crittenton placed a gun in his bag and brought it to Verizon Center on Dec. 21. Arenas arrived at Verizon Center for practice with a black backpack that held a silver Smith & Wesson .500 magnum revolver inside as well as three additional weapons.

Arenas then placed four guns on a chair in front of Crittenton's locker and left him a note saying, "Pick 1" and placed the note near the guns.

Crittenton said when he saw the guns, he asked Arenas, "What is this?" and Arenas told him, "You said you were going to shoot me, so pick one." Crittenton said he told Arenas that he didn't need his guns because he had his own and pulled out his weapon, a 9mm Taurus semiautomatic pistol.

Crittenton insisted that he never aimed his unloaded pistol at Arenas.

Arenas is scheduled to appear before Judge Robert E. Morin this Friday for sentencing. Morin, not bound by the plea agreement, could sentence Arenas to probation or five years in jail.
(theblackurbantimes)

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