Crish
TOLEDO — A federal judge has ruled that former Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish is “not worthy” of a reduction in the prison sentence he is currently serving for accepting bribes and extorting individuals to cover his gambling debts.
Crish, who served eight years as Allen County’s sheriff and was elected three times, was sentenced in September of 2019 to 136 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of extortion, two counts of accepting bribes and one count of making a false statement. He was also ordered to pay more than $600,000 in restitution to the victims in his case.
Citing changes made to the U.S. Sentencing Commission guidelines since his sentencing, Crish late last year submitted a motion in the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio in Toledo seeking to reduce his prison term to 97 months (approximately eight years) from his current 136-month sentence. He’s currently scheduled for release in July 2028.
U.S. District Court Judge James Carr issued a ruling on March 15 to deny the motion.
“Judges should extend, as I intend herein to show, little mercy for public corruption,” Carr said in his ruling. “This is especially so where the perpetrator is, himself, a law enforcement officer. The officer who breaks the law, rather than enforcing it, deserves severe punishment. That is what the public expects and what the defendant should justly receive. To do otherwise would diminish, rather than enhance, respect for the law.”
The judge continued, stating his conclusion “that the defendant is not worthy of the favor he seeks … I am not unmindful of his explanation for his ongoing corruption — an addiction to gambling. But I decline to accept that as an excuse or to excuse his criminal career machine.
“His ongoing misconduct and flagrant abuse of office are unpardonable,” Carr said. “I express these views to underscore how I – and I believe the law – should respond to public corruption. This is especially so when it involves a law enforcement officer.
“I decline to reduce his sentence.”
Court records show that Crish has appealed Carr’s ruling to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
