Councilman Is Said to Be Considering a Plea Deal(By Ray Rivera and William K. Rashbaum, NY Times, February 29, 2008)A city councilman accused of rape has entered into negotiations with the Queens district attorney’s office that could keep him out of jail if he pleads guilty to a misdemeanor and agrees to resign, among other conditions, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The councilman, Dennis P. Gallagher, a Queens Republican, is accused of raping a woman in his Middle Village campaign office on July 8 last year after meeting her at a nearby bar. Mr. Gallagher, who continues to serve on the Council, has said the sex was consensual. The indictment against the councilman was dismissed in January, and he is not currently charged with a crime.
Mr. Gallagher has not yet made a decision on whether to accept the offer, but people familiar with the matter said a determination would be made by next week. If an agreement is not reached, one person said, the matter will probably go to a grand jury. The plea offer was reported on Thursday by The New York Post, which said that under the offer, Mr. Gallagher would not have to register as a sex offender.
But according to the people familiar with the discussions, there is sharp disagreement on that matter. They said that the prosecutors were adamant that the offer include the councilman’s registration, but that Mr. Gallagher’s camp insists there be no such requirement.
Under the proposed deal, Mr. Gallagher would have to plead guilty to sexual misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor, but would not face jail time, the people familiar with the case said.
Republicans rarely "face jail time" for their crimes. In fact, they are usually rewarded!
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