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The first Filipino judge from Cook County, Chicago, arrived in the United States almost without anything or education, was sentenced on Thursday to one year in prison after being convicted of murder. having participated in an amount of $ 1.4 million fraud on the mortgage ten years ago.
Jessica Arong O. Brien, 51, shattered to tears after the judge sentenced her to a term of imprisonment following her conviction in February of two counts, alleging that she had participated in a ploy in which several lenders had been scammed, reported the Chicago Tribune.
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She was found guilty of lying to lenders for over $ 1.4 million in mortgages on two investment properties she had sold at the time that she owned a real estate company.
O 'Brien would have made money selling the two houses in 2007 after paying bribes to a straw buyer. Personally, she made a profit of at least $ 325,000 on sales, prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, the lenders lost money, the buyer of straw having failed to pay and the goods having been seized.
Jessica Arong O 'Brien with Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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Prior to the expiration of the sentence, O'Brien stated that she was "embarrassed" and described the scheme as an error. "Of course, I'm remorseful about my stupidity," said O & # 39; Brien.
His lawyer, Steve Greenberg, argued for probation, highlighting his true American dream story, in which a Filipino immigrant, who came to the United States with nothing, formed and became a judge [19659006] According to the Tribune, after arriving in the United States, O 'Brien earned a degree in culinary arts and restaurant management. She then studied at John Marshall Law School where she graduated in 1998.
After graduating with a law degree, she became the first Asian president of the Women's Bar Association of Canada. 39, Illinois and served on the board of governors of the Illinois State Bar. Association. She also co-founded a group in 2008 that offers scholarships to law students from diverse backgrounds.
"It's an inspiring story, it has fallen as far as it can fall, it has lost everything, there is absolutely no reason to send this poor woman in." prison. "
" It's an inspiring story, "Greenberg said. "She has fallen as far as she can fall. She lost everything. … There is absolutely no reason to send this poor woman to prison. "
But US District Judge Thomas Durkin rejected the application for probation, arguing that his fraudulent scheme was not just a mistake but a rather elaborate fraudulent scheme. [19659007] "It was not stupid," Durkin said, according to the newspaper. "It was a crime … you really did not need to do that."
"It was not stupid, it was a crime … You really did not need to do that."
Prosecutors, meanwhile, used the story of O. Brien to demand a heavier sentence, claiming that she had committed fraud without having the financial means to do it.
After the conviction, O & # 39; Brien blamed family problems drove her to embark on the real estate business and repeated that she had acted stupidly.
"Of all the things that everyone told you, one thing was missing: stupidity," said O. Brien, according to the Tribune. "I mean, seriously. This whole process is crazy. I can not get my hands on it. "
" I hope one day, six meters underground, they will learn from what happened here, "she added, hoping the other lawyers will learn that they will be forced to a higher level.
