Oh, and heeeeeeere ya go!
For anyone who didnt read it in DITM?
Pot Hottie Breathes Freedom
March 22, 2006 -- The so-called "Pot Princess" got a fairy-tale ending in Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday, where she was sentenced to five years' probation for dealing drugs on and around the NYU campus.
Julia Diaco, 20, was officially slapped on the wrist after her lawyer told Justice Charles Solomon that, as per the deal she'd worked out with prosecutors, she'd successfully completed her drug rehab and education program.
Asked if she wanted to say anything before her sentencing, Diaco - dressed in a dark, pinstriped skirt suit with knee-high stiletto-heeled boots - whispered, "No."
Her lawyer, Paul Schechtman, told the judge his client had taken "a long journey and a successful one."
Diaco - who had cracked wise to reporters after her arrest in 2004 - declined comment as she left court. Schechtman said, "She's a very different person than she was 18 months ago, and she has a bright future ahead of her."
Diaco was facing up to 25 years in prison had she been convicted of the top charges against her at trial.
Prosecutors apparently had a strong case against her - including videotape of her selling marijuana, magic mushrooms, LSD and cocaine to undercover officers.
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While she was selling small amounts, she was also dealing on a regular basis, using her NYU dorm as her "base of operations," prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said she dealt to undercover officers eight times, with her biggest deal $650 worth of cocaine, and would ply her wares on and around the NYU campus, including Washington Square Park.
When she was arrested, she was carrying several ounces of marijuana and a scale.
The case was surprising because the petite Diaco didn't need the money - she's the daughter of a millionaire builder and grew up in a castle-like mansion in tony Rumson, N.J.
Diaco pleaded guilty to drug possession and sale charges in 2004, but was allowed to withdraw that plea and plead guilty to lesser versions of those charges yesterday after successfully completing her drug rehab program and passing her drug tests.
She now attends a community college in New Jersey.
News of the deal frustrated Anthony Papa, 51, who, like Diaco, was once a first-time, non-violent offender. Instead of probation, he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for delivering four ounces of cocaine for a police informant to an undercover cop for a $500 fee.
The owner of a struggling auto repair business in The Bronx, Papa was desperate for cash and couldn't afford a pricey lawyer.
"I get angry with a case like this because the laws are not applied equally. Because she had money and the right lawyers, she didn't go to jail. Others should have that same opportunity," he said. "All people should be treated like this woman - with compassion."
Nope, no sentencing disparities by class or race. Everyone is treated fairly. 8(
