A federal judge sentenced developer Douglas Jemal’s top aide to eight months in prison, a harbinger of what Jemal could receive at his own sentencing next month.
Jemal, 63, and his right-hand man, Blake Esherick, 42, were convicted of wire fraud last year, but the jury dismissedthe main thrust of the government’s case of conspiring to bribe a District of Columbia government official with lavish gifts.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina ordered Esherick to eight months in prison, one year of detention and $9,000 in fines. The prison time was less than the sentencing guidelines of 27 to 33 months. Prosecutors are seeking three to five months for Jemal, one of the city’s biggest and most flamboyant developers. Jemal was convicted of defrauding a lender to get $430,000.
But a jury did not believe the government’s main witness, Michael Lorusso, who testified that Jemal showered him with lavish meals, expensive clothing and fancy vacations in exchange for sweetheart real estate deals with the city. One gift included $10,000 in cash delivered in an envelope, he said.
