Following a four-week trial in federal court, LSV, a 29-year-old mechanic, was convicted of RICO and Murder. The jury found that LSV was a member of a notorious and violent international criminal organization. The jury also found that he was personally responsible for one murder. Mr.V's co-defendants were convicted of the same charges.

In the months following the trial we prepared for sentencing. We gathered information from LSV's family, his work, and his robust medical history. Our main sentencing argument focused on his minimal participation in the murder. We hoped that the judge would agree with our reasoning - LSV should not be sentenced to life in prison, due to the fact that he played a lesser role in the murder than the other defendants. After a lengthy sentencing hearing, the judge agreed with our argument - LSV was sentenced to 35 years.

Though 35 years may seem like a lengthy sentence - and it is - it is not a life sentence. By comparison, the co-defendants were sentenced to life in prison.