Judge Rejects Plea Deal in Drug Case and Offers Five-Year Prison Sentence, Calls it a Gift Under the Christmas Tree
On Monday, September 14, Allen Jerome White, 53, appeared in court expecting to receive a lenient plea deal for a count of possession of fentanyl with intent to sell, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The initial plea deal would’ve had White sentenced to the lowest permissible sentence of roughly two years in prison.
White has a pending case out of Marion County for similar charges, court records show.
For his Alachua County case, White was represented by Assistant Public Defender Danielle Muller. She told Judge Robert Groeb about the plea agreement and acknowledged there was a motion to suppress that was denied.
Groeb appeared very dissatisfied with the proposed plea deal. Groeb said, “[He’s a] 19-time convicted felon. We’re talking about the bottom of the guidelines…”
Groeb asked White about his prior prison history, and he said he’s done time for driving with a suspended license.
The Florida Department of Corrections website shows White served four stints in prison between 2004 and 2008 for fleeing police, cannabis and cocaine possession/sale and driving with a suspended license.
White indicated that he only served time for driving with a suspended license.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” said Groeb. “I don’t even see a suspended license charge on here…” Groeb began listing White’s prior convictions and said he found it hard to believe he never went to prison for any of it.
Muller said that a significant amount of time has passed since White’s convictions. Court records in Alachua County support her statements, showing his last convictions were for misdemeanor cannabis/drug paraphernalia charges in 2009.
Muller said the plea deal gives White more prison time than he previously received.
Groeb called White, who has went nearly two decades without a felony conviction, a “career criminal” and said he isn’t the type of person he likes to give the bottom of the guidelines to.
After it was clear he was rejecting the plea deal, Muller and the prosecutor agreed to invite Groeb into the negotiations.
Groeb said, “If I were to offer you five years in [prison] that would be a gift, something you find under the Christmas tree… It’s not gonna get any better than that. Five is the lowest I can go.”
White appeared very hesitant to take the offer, but did so while stating multiple times, “I’ve got no choice.” Muller told him he did have a choice. She said that he didn’t have to take the offer that day and that they could get another court date or set the case for trial.
Facing over a decade in prison if found guilty at trial, White reluctantly took the offer.
