Derrick Filippo was sentenced to over five years in federal prison on Friday after the convicted felon earlier pleaded guilty to being found with a gun.
Attorney Myrlene Marsa emphasized his work history in construction, and said his criminal guidelines were overstated, as he got two points added for trespassing and another point for driving on a revoked license.
In regards to the gun, she said, “There is no indication he did anything with the weapon other than possessing it.”
On the other side, prosecutor Kyle Wilson brought attention to Filippo’s many crimes, saying “What his record lacks in depth, it makes up for in breadth.
He has several probation violations.”
Judge Travis McDonough seemed to side with the prosecutor in this line of thinking. While Filippo is yet to commit a huge crime, he has a long history of offenses and probation violations.
“Mr. Filippo is hard for me to figure out, because he has some major offenses, but he also has a string of minor offenses, and strikes me as someone who is stubborn in not following the law,” Judge McDonough said.
“I would agree he has some stubbornness,” attorney Marsa said. However, she told the court her client has been “responsive” and had accepted responsibility for his actions in the months she has worked with him.
“He has no interest in going to prison for life, and will take steps to straighten himself out,” she said.
When Filippo had a chance to address the court, he apologized for his actions to his family sitting on the right hand side of the gallery.
“I made a poor choice having a gun in my house, and I’d like to apologize to the court and to my family,” Filippo said.
Judge McDonough then pronounced a 63-month sentence along with three years of supervised release. The judge then wished Filippo good luck as he exited the courtroom.
“I think you have the ability to lead a more productive, and boring, life,” the judge said.
In 2018, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office recovered 32 marijuana plants from Filippo’s house, along with a firearm.