GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado resident and suspected prison gang member accused of plotting to kill a district attorney has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Billie Allen, 32, pleaded guilty Friday to a felony count of attempt to influence a public servant, which carries up to 12 years imprisonment, Greeley Tribune reported.
Allen was originally charged of solicitation of first-degree murder after deliberation, which carries up to 24 years in prison, prosecutors said.
The suspected 211 Crew member allegedly plotted to kill Weld District Attorney Michael Rourke, authorities said.
The plea deal agreement comes more than a month after a five-day trial ended in a hung jury, prosecutors said. A second trial was scheduled in April.
Despite the plea, the crime was not aggravating enough to justify a maximum 12-year sentence, Chief Judge Stephen Howard said.
“A light sentence in this case would have the effect of encouraging others, not deterring them,” Howard said.
Rourke told his neighbors about the threat, increased security at his house and placed GPS monitors on his car so law enforcement could track him, he said.
“Anything less than the maximum, and I mean the aggravated range, sends the wrong message to others in this community,” Rourke said.
Allen’s lawyer Melanie Sedlak argued for a prison sentence of four years saying her client was sorry and questioning whether or not Rourke would have felt differently if his claims were investigated differently.
“Mr. Rourke has no need to fear me or anyone I’ve hung out with,” Allen said. “I never meant any ill will towards him,” Allen said.
