ASWD criminal defense attorney Lee Metzger recently represented a client who was charged in federal court with participating in a scheme to defraud an insurance company out of more than $800,000.  Although the client eventually chose to plead guilty to the fraud charge, Mr. Metzger was able to obtain an extremely favorable sentence for him.  His persuasive sentencing brief and impassioned oral argument at the sentencing hearing convinced the presiding judge not to impose any prison time upon the defendant.  Instead, the defendant was sentenced to a brief period of house arrest, followed by probation.  When asked for comment, Mr. Metzger replied, “If a client decides to plead guilty to an offense, the battle is really just beginning.  Fights over what might constitute an appropriate sentence are huge.  Often times the prosecution, seeking a harsh sentence, will demonize a convicted defendant with the hopes that the court will only see him as only that: a criminal, and nothing more.  But I’ve got to do the opposite.  I’ve got to help the court see the defendant as a real person – as a human being with a story.  It is my job to tell that story in a compelling way, within the context of the law and the applicable surrounding facts.  Telling the client’s story that way often leads to good results for us.”