Richard Stewart - Michigan
#230648
State: Michigan
Sentence: Life
Offense: Delivery of a Controlled Substance 650 Grams or More
Court: Oakland County
Priors: None
Date of Sentencing: March 17, 1989
Date of Birth: August 25, 1970
Projected Release Date: September 9, 2006 (next parole review)
Nature of Offense: On August 17, 1988—about a week before turning 18—Richard sold a kilogram of cocaine to an undercover police officer and confidential informant at Church’s Chicken on Eight Mile and Schaefer. Although the total price was $22,000, the officer gave Richard $10,000 and promised the rest upon inspection of the cocaine. Richard then opened a Federal Express bag that contained the cocaine, and a surveillance team arrived immediately and arrested Richard. He claimed the offense was his first drug deal and did it to raise money for college and to buy a car. Remorseful of his actions, Richard pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to life without parole. He was only 19 at the time.
Mandatory Minimum Sentence: Richard was sentenced under Michigan’s infamous “650 Lifer Law”. Prior to 1998, the “650 Lifer Law” mandated life without parole for delivery or conspiracy to deliver 650 grams or more of cocaine or heroin. In 1998, FAMM succeeded in reforming the “650 Lifer Law” penalty and won further reforms of the penalty in 2003. Richard and others who had been convicted under the “650 Lifer Law” became eligible for parole after serving 15, 17.5, or 20 years, after the 1998 reforms.
Personal Background: Richard lived in Detroit for most of his life and was raised in a stable and loving environment. Both his parents held steady jobs—his father at Ford Motor Company for 36 years and his mother at a bank for 10 to 12 years at the time Richard was arrested—and they never suffered from drug and alcohol abuse. Richard followed his parents’ hardworking example and was employed at the Detroit Zoo where he worked at a concession stand from June 1988 to about one week before his arrest. He was also committed to education: Richard was accepted to Clark University in Atlanta, Georgia and was preparing to attend when the instant offense occurred. Following it he completed two semesters at Wayne County Community College. He deeply regrets his involvement in the crime and the damage it has wrought to his life and his family, and he hopes for a second chance.
Complied from PSR and inmate information.