Carl MooreVIDEO
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After being acquitted and avoiding a 2011 murder conviction, 31-year-old Carl Moore was sentenced to 70 months in prison in federal court for marijuana and gun charges Thursday.
Moore, also known as 'Old School,' and his attorney, Leslie Cory, asked U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier for a reduced sentence. A bench full of women there to see Moore listened carefully in the cold courtroom.
Collier denied Cory's request to classify Moore as a category 3 offender, pointing out that Moore had a long criminal history.
Moore was charged with violating probation and aggravated burglary in 2006, court records show. Again, in 2011, he was charged with possessing a firearm during a dangerous offense, possession of marijuana for resale and possession of cocaine.
Still, Moore promised the judge he was changed.
People from a prison ministry wrote to Collier and said they believed he was "a new man." His fiancee and grandmother also wrote to beg for leniency.
"I learned from my mistakes," Moore said, clothed in a khaki inmate's uniform, his feet shackled. "I plan to man up. I know I have to be punished for what I've done."
U.S. Attorney Jay Woods reminded the judge that Moore had run from police and tried to blame the gun and drugs on someone else.
Less than a month after talking with a group of children about keeping their lives clean, he was in trouble again, said Woods.
"He said he was reformed before," he said. "He is not."
The sentence could have fallen anywhere between 66 to 72 months, Collier said. Moore's attorney said she plans to file an appeal.
A woman watching the back of Moore's head began crying.
As he walked away she mouthed: "I love you."
"Love you too," he mouthed back.
Contact staff writer Joan McClane at jmcclane@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6601. Follow her on Twitter at @Joan GarrettCTFP.