Former Erie City Council President Sonya Arrington Sentenced to - Erie News Now

Former Erie City Council President Sonya Arrington was sentenced to serve time in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and submitting false government documents.

After hearing sentencing arguments Monday afternoon from defense attorney Leonard Ambrose and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Trabold, U.S. District Judge David Cercone handed down prison sentence of one year and one day, less than half of the federal guidelines for her crimes.

Arrington was indicted in 2018 on federal charges for taking $70,000 from Mothers Against Teen Violence (MAT-V) the non-profit she founded after the shooting death of her son Steve. She was also charged with two counts of illegally receiving nearly $30,000 in Social Security disability payments.

In court documents, Arrington admitted to taking the money, most of it gambled away at Presque Isle Downs and Casino.

Attorney Ambrose asked the judge to consider the nature of the offense, and the history and character of the defendant, "a mother, wife, grandmother and much beloved member of the community."

He brought eight witnesses, including family members and community leaders including Bishop Dwane Brock, city councilman Mel Witherspoon, and county councilman Carl Anderson, all testifying to the good that Arrington's MAT-V initiatives and mentoring programs did in the community--even saving the lives of some of the young people she helped.

Prosecutor Attorney Christian Trabold asked the judge to consider factors including the length of time the criminal activity continued from December of 2011 to March of 2018, making 113 visits to the casino and using the non-profit's credit card to pay personal bills and take a trip to Disney World. Trabold said she depleted the charitable donations and there was no record found at the Booker T. Washington Center of her spending the MAT-V funds on her programs.

Arrington addressed Judge Cercone on her own behalf. She apologized to her family, friends and the community for what she had done. She expressed remorse for tarnishing the name of her son, but told the court she did help kids and she would like to get back to her work of being a mentor. Arrington also told the court the loss of her son has left her with a lifetime of grief and depression. She said going to the casino gave her a sense of peace, "where she could just sit and push a button."

Federal guidelines in this case called for a sentence of 27 to 33 months in federal prison. Judge Cercone said he could not consider house arrest because it would send the wrong message to the community. He called Arrington's crimes despicable for the impact they may have on people's trust and willingness to support other charitable organizations.

Attorney Ambrose said he believed the character witnesses made an impact on the judge, by making it clear that Arrington created the non-profit with good intentions and not as a "scam." He said he and his client were pleased that the judge's sentence was less that the guidelines.

Arrington will be under federal supervision for two years once released from prison. No fine was imposed, but she must pay restitution for her crimes. Arrington is also required to undergo a treatment program for gambling addiction.

She is expected to report to begin serving time in the next 45 days.

Former Erie City Council President Sonya Arrington Sentenced to Prison Time in Federal Fraud Case