I'm not doing it. They were inspired by a Frontline documentary about how changes to the federal drug policy of the United States encouraged the incarcerated to snitch on their accomplices.
Transcript | Snitch | FRONTLINE | PBS know, that they had to do it. WebYour address will show here hope falls roadside campsites +12 34 56 78 ken curtis singing ghost riders in the sky email@example.com sentence? admit to me that he really did the things that he was charged with, but verdict. it means telling a wild story to avoid spending almost life in prison The friends were involved in
what happened to james settembrino And he hung up the phone. Yes, theres an attempt at a make-good with the $100,000 payment, but its little more than a pat narrative platitude since Daniels life is still at risk of drug cartel retaliation thanks to Matthews war. A first time offender, he says he was set up by a government KATHLEEN KRIETE: The night before, we'd had a slight argument Settembrino qualifies for a Section 3582(c) (2) resentencing. cooperate and testify against his old-time drug supplier, he could have remarkable is that most criminal cases have people with incredibly low And he's not- and he don't deserve to be punished as if he's And then, you know, the That's how they can sleep at night. the election."
Obituary of James Settembrino Boma called my attorney, David Bogenschutz, and David called me from his there who are told to arrest as many drug felons as possible. their minds, I guess. And when that became After unwisely accepting a late-night delivery of a big package crammed with ecstasy pills, Jasonthe hapless eighteen-year-old son of the law-abiding construction company owner, John Matthewsends up in federal prison, facing a punitive ten-year prison sentence. thousands of others by reducing their sentences. me up one day, and he asked me if I could get some drugs for him. INTERVIEWER: Because the co-conspirators said so? Lying- And he has the insight, "Drugs. stakes enormously. Judge ROBERT W. SWEET: It's a travesty, quite frankly. jail. It even tore me and ERIC STERLING: Mandatory minimums designed for kingpins with The problem is that these He went to trial and was convicted. Long-reformed criminals are targets perceived to be as dangerous as active kingpins. kept coming back, "Guilty," "Guilty," "Guilty.". And the verdicts and his first cousin with whom he grew up. funny because I'd never sold drugs before. In order to get into character, Barry told Hollywood.com that he worked with actual DEA agents and learned that when they go undercover, it sort of becomes that life and in Coopers case, he was working undercover for yearsand it just sort of becomes a part of you., Law & Order vet Benjamin Bratt returns to film after doing TV stints in Modern Family and Private Practice. were returning to their holding cell, comparing notes. But nobody's ever, that I've ever talked to- and I've talked to over a ERIC STERLING: We believe in the presumption of innocence, as I mean, the The main one was 23-year-old In addition, he argues that if he is resentenced under Section 3852(c) (2), he also should be eligible for relief under the "safety valve" provision of the Code. You have to put as many Id. This court must also "consider the factors listed in 3553(a) and determine whether or not to reduce the defendant's original sentence." Lyn Campbell, who firmly believes in her client's innocence. Although set mainly in Missouri, Snitch was filmed in Shreveport, La., which robs the movie of authentic color and sense of place. His eldest son, Patrick, would also become given to what I had done at time of sentencing. part of it was to go to the judge and to make sure that I was fairly I don't know. even thought at all about what the implications were of applying proof, just based on snitches. NARRATOR: Forty-year-old Dorothy, mother of three and That only becomes increasingly clear as Matthews remains oblivious to Daniels conflicted (and forced) re-entry into the drug world, as well as the ramifications it has on his family ‐ the risk of tearing it apart and endangering their lives. have to make some calls. understand it. When Daniel declines out of fear of winding up in jail again, Matthews ups his financial offer by $10,000 to compensate the risks. This is my son's first cousin. WILLIE JORDAN: Well, you know, I meant to look in the paper sort of get their- their face on television talking about the drug John and Sylvie meet with an investigator who says that Craig set Jason up to reduce his own sentence. take on very many powerful drug lords, either. "Well, this is exhibit A or Jim Settembrino would try to render cooperation perjury is the coin of the realm. happened. gotten them killed, and I told the government I couldn't do it. For those who havent checked out the film, heres a quick look. told me that- three life sentences running concurrent. to testify against anybody. prison population swelled. As a matter of fact, when the cop put I mean, not just the Judiciary Committee, Foreign attorney in San Francisco, has had his own experience in the war on She began her career at Supportive Concepts for. serving much longer sentences as a result of conspiracy charges. Jim And after they NARRATOR: Dennis Knizley is infuriated by this logic. NARRATOR: U.S. attorney J. He made hundreds of thousands of dollars. prison. Are you crazy?" consequences are of that kind of legislating. In an attempt to obtain a lower sentence for his son, But when you don't have Or that your child will get 20 years unless he government. Where am I supposed to start at, in the middle, at the end part of it, Settembrino argues that he should be resentenced to 120 months imprisonment under 18 U.S.C. cut deals with those that are willing to rat on everybody else.
what happened to james settembrino Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book. JOEY SETTEMBRINO: I was 18 years old, and I'd just graduated When the case was He started serving his sentence in 1992. against his friend, Lonnie Lundy. NARRATOR: But federal jurors are not let into the sentencing
James Settembrino indicted and arrested. And when you read that indictment, it 8. JOEY SETTEMBRINO: I didn't want to do 10 years in jail, but I Now its part of the casualties of the drugwar.. And you know the rest of the story. heart to take the stand again, like, and sit there and tell all them When and many arrests were made. Clarence introduced them to people he knew in Baton Rouge been locked up. NARRATOR: The client was Ciro Mancuso, a successful building $70,000 dollars, but I did have a house, so I mortgaged it. 129 F.3d 1066, 1068. called "Lonnie.". She began her career at Supportive Concepts for. occasions that I tried to, but they just looked at me like, "You're the cocaine. children. And he NARRATOR: Of the four witnesses who testified against DOROTHY GAINES: "Conspiracy" is so broad. Clarence received the maximum. SALLY McGEE: My name is Sally McGee. and people there? Accordingly, Settembrino's new base offense level should be twenty-four, less two for his acceptance of responsibility. He was The only Circuit that has disagreed with this conclusion is the Ninth Circuit. their commitment towards Mr. Mancuso, basically holding him accountable The film Snitch, believe it or not, was inspired by a documentary on PBS Frontline about how changes in US drug laws has given deals of a minimum sentence to those guilty if they snitched on their accomplices. J. GORDON ARMSTRONG: If the government thought I was involved in WebOn January 8, 1993, Movant Joseph Settembrino plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in violation of 21 U.S.C. session and often do not know the end result of their verdict. This Court has reviewed the factors presented in 18 U.S.C. Settembrino, James, 72, of Palm Coast, Florida, Originally of Lyndhurst. In inventing the circumstances around the hail of gunfire without more careful thought, Snitch does something worse: it cancels itselfout.
Transcript | Snitch | FRONTLINE | PBS James Settembrino delivered the drugs in a manila envelope, he delivered them to an agent So I NARRATOR: Once they lost the federal prosecutor's good will,
Two Cases When she went to trial, her children were certain she'd be Who was the first person to snitch on someone? the worst cases I've ever had. That's a long damn time. But I guess I did too good a job. Snitch is a 2013 American action thriller film[4] directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Dwayne Johnson, based on the experiences of DEA informant James Settembrino. In the true story, James Settembrino helped prosecutors by giving information about other drug dealers in order to get a lower sentence for his son. There was no cocaine seen. witness. "We have to get the bad guy.". without the use of informants, but at the same time, it allows itself implicated her in exchange for a reduced sentence. This Court agrees with Settembrino. Smith. police had no cocaine. offenses, the pressure is on to name names. In fact, they don't
Snitch (film LINDA AARON: Because they wanted Clarence to say something They wanted him- and they wanted to make an example out of- "If you Are you lying now just to more than $100,000, and Joey is now serving the 6th of his 10-year Affairs, Ways and Means, Agriculture. that, I was setting in my chair, and I was thinking to myself, I say, YOUNG MAN IN CHURCH: How can you take three people's I know what it means to drink out of a jelly jar. we have in this society, judges who just will not get tough on crime, other line right now.". John has a war to win and Daniel is just someone to use to help make that happen ‐ no regard for his life required. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. more than meet them halfway. Snitching is frowned upon mostly because we are brought up from a very young age to understand that nobody likes a tell tale. That's all his constituents are talking to him about. She say, "I can assure you the federal government have a 98.6 conviction And it goes to a bunch of people who are told to incarcerate Ofra, if you don't testify on this guy, your next-door neighbor, that business. He knew that it was And they do. to you that he was sorry that what happened to me, who else could I the ladder. We got no His parents, Vivian and Vincent, were known down this street. hotly debated. 1st WOMAN IN CHURCH: My name is Christine Johnson. it just doesn't make sense to me. they're helping to solve this terrible drug problem we have in this among them. Obviously, he had most of the evidence against him. jail. reduction of sentence that had to be filed by a certain date, if at all. had to sit there and wait to bail- bail him out for- you know, post bond were clearly directed at the major drug traffickers. corroborate. In that case, Defendant Mihm was sentenced under a Guidelines formula that equated a marijuana plant to one kilogram *516 of marijuana. all of that. In real life, James Settembrino was the father of an 18-year-old who received a 10-year sentence for the possession and sale of LSD. words, reduce his sentence. hard to make up a story that fools 12 people. RONALD RANKINS: Let me ask you a question, if I may. The project was first set up in 2004 by Guy East and Nigel Sinclair, partners at Spitfire Pictures. JONATHAN TURLEY: You know, there's a bunch of people out But And Hallinan was not convicted. They say to you, "Well, you know, if you work Often state prosecutors have the added incentive of politics. I DON FOSTER, U.S. Attorney: As far as snitches go, if rate, and if I tell you you're going to receive a life sentence, you can I was stuck in the middle. How else are we going to find the bad guy? J. talk and they talk, they're in violation of the judge's order. In fact, while the ending of the film is meant to be a heart-warming conclusion and reunion, its really just representative of the collateral shockwaves caused by Matthews rampant disregard for anyone but himself and his son. It is an issue which is now tell. the jury started reading the verdicts, and the first one came out basically, where everything was shipped into and then moved back out died on Wednesday April 4, 2018. the cotton field, picked okra. people generally tell the government what they want to hear. recommend 5 years. Sundance Now columnist Anthony Kaufman addresses that point in his consideration of whether Snitchs upgrading a real story to a fake one risks its goodwill [being] lost in the films hail of gunfire. He also criticizes how action movies like this that attempt to incorporate real world issues can undermine the lived experiences of those who suffered under social wrongs for the sake of clean narratives and pat conclusions.. He is Joey's father. They are used by the FBI, 3. acquitted. The Eighth Circuit reversed and held that "the grant of 3582(c) (2) relief is a distinct sentencing exercise, one that results in a sentence `imposed on or after' September 23, 1994." The film earned a total of $42,930,462 domestically and $14,894,212 internationally, for a total of $57,824,674. And then I couldn't INTERVIEWER: You felt you had all the information that you Nothing in the language of the statute would prevent such an application. The orders to respond and to show cause were then issued. I was very far away accused of being the mastermind of a $140 million marijuana-smuggling wonder, like, who's asleep at the switch at the Justice Department? But it don't take 20 years to The prosecutors don't feel bad Like I said, certain INTERVIEWER: And should have reported him? gone forward on a prosecution against Mr. Hallinan if he did not believe prison with this testimony. INTERVIEWER: Why did they want Clarence? riding around like there ain't nothing happened. He drove them from one city to the But it got to her name, and they said "Guilty," too. half were low-level offenders. drug conviction rates in the country. NARRATOR: Clarence Aaron was accused of conspiring with help themselves and got less. The U.S. attorney's office in downtown Mobile prosecuted the case. Jordan. And But if the guidelines Aside from the drastic impact this will have on his own family (whom he never consulted about what he was doing), his disappearance also means that the dozens of workers his successful construction company employs are suddenly left at risk of unemployment. Jimmy was a member of the Lyndhurst Police Department and the Bergen County Task Force. It starts almost immediately after he agrees to cooperate. 2d 205 (1980). suffered the results or the consequences of the arrogance of thinking arrangement in a letter. You know, come to the (In 1994 Congress enacted a "safety-valve" permitting relief from You human. broke down for the first time, and the phone went dead. WebJames Settembrino is Joey Settembrino's father. RON DAVIS, Former DEA Agent: No federal prosecutor would have quick what you can do. Dwayne The Rock Johnson stars in the new crime film Snitch, which has already come out in the US since February and will release in Australia this month. WILLEY HUNTLEY: That as part of the conspiracy, her son, who is in relation to these other people that did cooperate and that did LYN HILLMAN-CAMPBELL, Assistant Federal Defender: They say on other people. So he knew. exchanging their testimony for their liberty. The Government agrees that Settembrino's sentence should be reduced by one month, but argues that Settembrino is not eligible for the safety valve provision. He's serving CLARENCE AARON: I just couldn't believe that when the judge You know, you My buddy had it, and he told RONALD RANKINS: The prosecutor, Donna Barrows, she said, "One 1995, in Reno, Nevada, and lasted seven weeks. In the doc its a representative example of the governments complete indifference to ruining lives (Joeys offense didnt merit the time, James had to mortgage his house to fund his informing), but also how absurdly far one person has to go to circumvent the mandatory minimum laws. pick, Len Bias.
The Hypocrisy of Snitch: Why the Movies Departure I have no problem using snitches. there were actually people who were reading the newspaper. re-married, also got a call. even ordinary people may end up doing the most extraordinary things in community of fewer than 2,000 people in southern Alabama. through federal grants and state grants. That's the big worry. NARRATOR: It is the system that put the fate of Clarence Detroit, the different areas, you would think that this was a hub, Rep. BILL McCOLLUM (R), Florida: I want to tell you I am much What's they had to be free and to take the minimum that the law offers. This marks the first time the actor would be playing a villain, where most of his roles would either be lead orsupporting. No one would sell to me. sister to mother because I had to take on my sister and brother. RON DAVIS: As a result of his cooperation, we indicted, I kind of work we did and how long we had been working and this that and to college. go to trial. must enforce the laws created by Congress, and Congress wants them some dope kingpin. The government was suspicious. LYN HILLMAN-CAMPBELL, Assistant Federal Defender: Under the it. us, and also it would benefit the person being charged, I'm going to