Former NFL star Darren Sharper is about to start serving Fed time. He was just sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for drugging and raping (or attempting to rape) 16 women across four different states. All in a matter of months. Details inside...
It hasn't exactly been the swiftest justice (initial charges were filed January 2014), but former New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper has finally reaped his punishment.
After admitting to raping or attempting to rape women in four states, the 41-year-old was handed down the 18 year federal prison sentence today in a New Orleans court. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo issued the sentence, just months after turning down a plea deal to only serve 9 years. She said the deal was too lenient.
The sentence falls just 15 months short of the maximum sentence based on the number of victims. It's within the range of the 15 to 19 years that a federal probation report recommended. His nine year sentence he recently received in Arizona will be served at the same time. He will also receive credit for the time already served behind bars.
The New Orleans Advocate reports about his admissions saying:
Sharper has pleaded guilty or no contest in various courthouses to raping — or trying to rape — nine women in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Tempe, Arizona, between Aug. 31, 2013, and Jan. 15, 2014.
All of his admitted crimes took place while Sharper was retired from football and working as an NFL Network analyst.
In New Orleans, he has admitted to drugging and raping two women the night of Sept. 23, 2013, at a condominium where he lived in the Warehouse District.
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Sharper also admitted, as part of a guilty plea in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, that he raped another woman a few weeks earlier at a hotel across the street from the condo after she had been drugged.
In his federal plea, Sharper admitted to three counts related to a conspiracy to ply women with drugs such as Ambien, Xanax, Valium and Ecstasy to prime them for sexual assault.
One of his victims made sure to show up and give him a piece of her mind today, yelling at him to "go to hell." The Advocate reports:
She said the arrogance and stupidity he showed in attacking so many victims in so short a period handed authorities their case against him "on a silver platter."
Darren also sobbed and spoke today in court -- wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles -- saying, "They didn't deserve anything being a part of my heinous decisions. I still don't know why I lived my life right for 38 years, and then I took this path."
Two co-defendants, one is former St. Bernard Sheriff's Office deputyBrandon Licciardi and the other is promoter Erik Nunez , also have pleaded guilty on a number of related charges in New Orleans' state and federal courthouses. The charges include battering, drugging and raping a number of the 16 women.
Photo: Getty