The NAACP is formally protesting the sentences of two white women, alleging race bias because the two wmen didn’t receive the same sentence as their black co-defendents.
The Cobb County women, dubbed the “Barbie Bandits” by the media, were arrested for robbing a Bank of America branch in February, 2007. The heist involved four people: the two women, a black male teller who worked in the bank, and a black male who introduced the women to the bank teller.
The two women received the following sentences for their roles in the bank robbery:
- Heather Lyn Johnston, 20, and Ashley Nicole Miller, 19, both pleaded guilty to theft- by-taking charges. Miller received two years in jail, followed by eight years probation. Johnson got 10 years probation. (Source)
I agree that the women’s sentences should have fit their crime since they weren’t forced or coerced into robbing the bank. But the prosecutors took into account their ages, their lack of criminal records at the time of their arrests, and their willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
Now let’s look at the brothers: Bank teller Benny Allen III, 23, (pictured above) was sentenced to five years in prison. He told the women what to write in their bank note and he handed them the money (almost $11,000). Allen was already on probation for a drug offense when he was arrested, and prosecutors say he refused to cooperate with authorities.
Michael Chastang, who introduced the women to Allen, received the most severe of the four sentences. He was already on probation for a prior drug trafficking conviction and he was ordered to serve out the 15 year sentence he received for that conviction.
Was the judge supposed to ignore the fact that both men were already out on probation for serious drug offenses? Doesn’t the NAACP have anything else better to do with its time?
