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Probation—Not Jail—For State Sen. Hiram Monserrate
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 4, 2009
Modified Dec 4, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 4, 2009
Modified Dec 4, 2009
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State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who was convicted of misdemeanor assault, was sentenced to 250 hours of community service. 52 weeks of domestic abuse counseling and three years of probation. The assault conviction stems from an incident where he allegedly accidentally slashed his girlfriend in the face a year ago.
According to CityRoom, Monserrate did apologize to girlfriend Karla Giraldo during the sentencing:
The sentencing was an unusually long proceeding for a misdemeanor case — it began at 9:30 a.m. and did not end until four hours later. And it was punctuated by a remarkable back-and-forth between Justice William M. Erlbaum and Ms. Giraldo over whether to lift an order of protection that had kept her and Mr. Monserrate apart for almost a year
“What, Karla Giraldo, are you?” Justice Erlbaum asked, wondering whether she was a submissive woman or an assertive one.
Whispering to an interpreter, who relayed her words to the court, Ms. Giraldo replied, “He does not dominate me. He doesn’t have any control over my life.
Erlbaum kept the order of protection in effect, though he may review it again later. Giraldo has said in the press that she still loves Monserrate and that she wants to be "intimate" with him again; Monserrate allegedly wants to marry her.
Monserrate could have faced up to a year in prison for the conviction, but his sentence may give the State Senate panel investigating whether he should face disciplinary action reason to go easy on him. At any rate, his lawyers are appealing the decision.
And newly elected City Council member Daniel Dromm, who is openly gay and whose Queens district overlaps with Monserrate's, commented on Monserrate's "no" vote on gay marraige, "Here's a guy who was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend, yet he takes a vote on whether two loving people have the right to marry?"
Tagged
assault
daniel dromm
hiram monserrate
Karla Giraldo
misdemeanor
probation
slashing
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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