I reported last week that Leslie Johnson had a plea hearing scheduled for June 30th and would be entering a plea of guilty to charges of witness and evidence tampering.
Daniel Valentine of the Gazette Newspaper in Prince George's got the story ahead of everyone else and had correctly reported that she would likely enter a guilty plea more than a month ago, (credit where credit is due) but that date was delayed.
I got word last week that the June 30th date was a go and broke that. After I reported it, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland issued a press release.
This past Thursday, Mrs. Johnson, a Prince George's County Council member and wife of the former County Executive Jack Johnson, had her day in court. This photo shows her flanked by her attorney Shawn Wright and an unidentified man, heading into the courthouse.
I snapped this photo as Mrs. Johnson walked into federal court. No matter what you think of the person involved in a case like this, I can never help wondering; what is it like--on the basic human level-- to have the experience of walking past a crowd of reporters and photographers, head into a courthouse and stand before a judge?
Mrs. Johnson will be sentenced October 13th. Her husband, who pleaded guilty to taking more than $400,000 in bribes, will be sentenced in September.
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