Today, former judicial Assistant Alisha Rupp was sentenced to the charges she pled to last week. Judge Perry of Orlando sentenced Rupp to 300 days in the Polk County Jail, followed by 185 days house arrest, and 2 years probation. The judge also adjudicated her guilty which means Ms. Rupp is now a convicted felon and can not seal her arrest or remove her mugshot from the Polk County Sheriff’s webpage. If the judge had withheld adjudication, she would not have lost her civil rights and would be eligible to seal her record.
Ms. Rupp also must pay “restitution” in the amount of $4,879.00. Restitution is payment for any damages or loss you may have cost the victim in your criminal case. For example, if someone stole a television and sold the TV to some unknown person and the TV was never recovered, the defendant would be ordered to pay or reimburse that person for the stolen TV. There are many times when restitution can not be ordered in a case and even more often when the amount of restitution or amount owed can be disputed by the person convicted of the crime. If you have been ordered to pay restitution or think your case may require restitution, call for a free consultation about defense you may have to paying these monies. In Ms. Rupp’s case, she will be paying back the money she received for work when she was not actually working.
Judge Perry gave a jail sentence even though Judge Harlan’s charges were dropped. The judge stated that as a judicial assistant, Rupp violated the public trust of the position. Based upon the sentence today, prosecutors dropped the remaining 13 counts against Rupp that were recently added to her criminal charges. Ms. Rupp’s defense attorney requested probation as a sentence. Rupp also asked for a “turn-in” date for her jail sentence, but Judge Perry refused and ordered that she be taken into custody immediately. Defense attorneys often ask for “turn-in” dates so that our clients can get their affairs in order, but I am sure the judge considered the fact that she pled last week, had time to get her affairs in order, and due to the “public trust” involved in her case, that a turn-in date would not be appropriate.
This ends the Polk county scandal as both cases are now finished. A judge will still have to be appointed for Judge Harlan’s vacated spot on the bench.
If you have been arrested for
- Grand Theft
- Forgery
- Petit Theft
- Uttering a Forged Instrument
- Scheming to Defraud
- or a similar crime in Polk County
Call an experienced Polk criminal defense attorney that will fight for you in court!
Thomas C. Grajek – 863-688-4606
