Pubdate: Thu, 17 Dec 2015
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2015 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-letters-to-the-editor-htmlstory.html
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Author: Paula McMahon
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)

EX-DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL ADMITS ARMED ROBBERY

A former deputy U.S. Marshal from Broward County is facing at least 
10 years in federal prison after admitting he used his duty weapon to 
steal 24 pounds of marijuana from drug dealers in northern California.

Clorenzo Mack Griffin, 38, who grew up and lived in Fort Lauderdale, 
pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiring to commit robbery 
at a hearing in federal court in Sacramento, Calif. He was fired 
after his arrest.

Griffin admitted he planned, financed and took part in the Oct. 11, 
2014 armed robbery in Yuba City with two friends from Miami, who have 
already admitted their roles in the crime, according to court records.

"He is still, believe it or not after these many months, he is still 
in shock," Griffin's lawyer Brian Bieber told the Sun Sentinel.

Griffin was not legally insane at the time of the offense but has 
been diagnosed with a post-traumatic stress disorder condition and 
was "in a disoriented state of mind" when he took part in the 
robbery, Bieber said.

"It was not about the money or the thrill, it was an act committed in 
the midst of a full-blown posttraumatic stress episode," Bieber said. 
"He is now paying a severe price, with not just the loss of his 
liberty for many years to come but also the destruction of a solid 
and promising career in law enforcement."

Last week, Andre Jamison, 40, of Miami, was sentenced to seven years 
and three months in federal prison for his role in the crime. And on 
Wednesday, Rodney Rackley, 24, of Miami, was sentenced to six years in prison.

Griffin admitted Wednesday that he, Jamison and Rackley pretended 
they were police officers conducting legal activity when they robbed 
the drug dealers in the parking lot of a hotel on State Road 99 in Yuba City.

The men wore bulletproof police vests and brandished firearms during 
the crime, according to court records.

Griffin used his duty weapon, a loaded .40-caliber issued to him by 
the U.S. Marshals Service in 2010, to commit the crime, he admitted. 
Authorities said he was also carrying his law enforcement credentials 
and wore his government-issued bulletproof vest during the robbery.

Griffin, who has been jailed in California since his arrest, is 
scheduled for sentencing on March 9. Under the terms of his plea 
agreement, federal prosecutors and the defense will recommend that 
U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller sentence Griffin to between 
10 and 12 years in federal prison.
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