Former Attorney Gets 9 Year
Sentence for Killing Two While Driving Drunk
Recently, a former Ashburn,
Virginia attorney who pleaded guilty to killing a husband and wife in a 2013
drunk driving crash was
sentenced
to nine (9) years in prison (20 years for each aggravated involuntary
manslaughter with all but 4 years suspended on each, in addition to 1 year for
the DUI charge).
The Defendant, Mark
Anthony Sgarlata, was found to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of
0.15, almost twice the legal limit in Virginia of 0.08.
Sgarlata’s car hit the two victims, who were
riding a motorcycle on Ashburn Farm Parkway, as he was turning left into the
Junction Plaza shopping center.
Back in
August, Mr. Sgarlata pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated involuntary
manslaughter and a charge of driving drunk.
Sgarlata had previously been arrested in 2011 for suspicion of DUI,
which led to a guilty finding of reckless driving.
As a result, he avoided jail time and was
required to listen to victims of drunk drivers tell their story and write about
the impacts from those cases.
For each
charge in the 2013 case accident, the Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge
implemented the maximum sentence, but suspended most of the prison term under
conditions that the Defendant avoids any other future charges and participates
in community awareness for drunk driving once released from prison.
If you have been
arrested for a DUI/DWI it is important that you consult an experienced Virginia
DUI attorney immediately because DUI is a criminal offense and carries
potentially severe penalties. An
experienced attorney can guide you through the court process and find any
possible defenses that can either mitigate the penalties in the case, or in
some instances, lead to an acquittal or dismissal. Portner & Shure has a satellite office in
Ashburn, Virginia to serve our DUI/DWI clients.
If you or a family member has been charged with
DUI or DWI in Ashburn, Virginia and would like a free legal consultation or if
you would like more information on DUI or DWI please feel free to
contact our office at (703) 916-1227 or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Criminal-Defense/DWI-DUI/
