Previous Story
Judge rejects robbery suspect’s plea deal
|
Posted on Mar 02 2012
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
Superior Court associate judge Joseph N. Camacho rejected yesterday a plea agreement that recommends a time-served sentence for a robbery suspect who also allegedly beat up the victim, a 65-year-old masseur.
Citing the seriousness of the crimes, Camacho said he is not satisfied with the terms of the plea agreement that the government entered with Joshua Basaliso. Camacho believes that imposing a four-month time-served sentence in this case will not give a good message to the community.
“We value our elders in this community,” the judge said.
Camacho set a jury trial for July 9, 2012.
Under the plea deal, Basaliso was to plead guilty to assault and battery. He will then be placed on probation.
Assistant attorney general Eileen Wisor said she believes in honoring the plea agreement that the previous leadership in the Office of the Attorney General had signed. “Like I said, this not my personal preference,” she said.
Wisor said the suspect did cooperate with the government in the investigation and even testified during the trial of co-defendant Nestor C. Taitano.
Attorney Antonio Atalig, court-appointed counsel for Basaliso, said his client has demonstrated that he’s a law-abiding citizen since being released from jail in April 2011.
“He’s graduating in two months,” Atalig said.
Basaliso testified for the government in the trial of his cousin, Taitano. He admitted beating up and taking the wallet of Chinese national Guoxi Liang in San Antonio on April 2, 2011. Taitano was acquitted.
