Aug 4, 2008 2:34 pm US/Eastern
Fourth Co-Defendant Cops A Plea In O.J. Case
Charles Ehrlich, 54, Faces Up To 5 Years In Prison
LAS VEGAS (CBS4) ―
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Police-provided photo of Charles Ehrlich, a Miami man arrested and charged in connection with the O.J. Simpson-involved casino memorabilia robbery
Las Vegas Police Department
A fourth co-defendant in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery and kidnapping case in Las Vegas has cut a deal with prosecutors in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Monday, Charles Ehrlich, 54, pleaded guilty to attempted accessory to robbery and attempted burglary. As part of the deal, Ehrlich, who lives in Miami, has agreed to testify against Simpson and the last remaining co-defendant Clarence "C.J. Stewart. Under his plea deal, Ehrlich faces a possible sentence ranging from probation to five years in prison. Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass said he would be sentenced after Simpson's trial.
Trial for Simpson and Stewart is scheduled to get underway on September 8th.
Ehrlich was one of the five men who accompanied Simpson last year when he confronted two sports memorabilia dealers at a casino hotel room. Simpson and Stewart have pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, each man faces life in prison.
Simpson has said he was merely trying to retrieve some personal belongings and family heirlooms, and that no guns were involved.
Simpson's attorney Yale Galanter said Ehrlich's plea deal "shows the prosecution is stretching to try to fill holes in an otherwise weak and crumbling case."
Stewart's lawyer, Robert Lucherini, has said he intends to ask the Nevada Supreme Court to sever Stewart's trial from Simpson's.
Of the other defendants, Charles Cashmore, 41, pleaded guilty to felony accessory to robbery and could receive probation or up to five years in prison; Walter Alexander, 47, pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to commit robbery and could face probation or up to six years in prison; and Michael McClinton, 50, pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, felonies that combined could get him probation or up to 11 years in prison.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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