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'A slow train wreck': Notable quotes out of today's APS sentencing
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter presides over the sentencing Monday. Sentencing of 10 of the 11 defendants convicted of racketeering and other charges in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial before Judge Jerry Baxter in Fulton County Superior Court, Monday April 13 2015. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kent D. Johnson, Pool)
This story will be updated.
Ten out of 11 former Atlanta educators found guilty of racketeering on April 1 are due to be sentenced today by Judge Jerry Baxter.
They face prison sentences ranging from five to 20 years because of the hefty RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) against them.
The hearing, which includes testimony for character witnesses for the convicted, is still in session. Here are some of the most notable quotes from inside the courtroom.
"I'm not giving these folks 20 years." --Judge Jerry Baxter, in a discussion with a defense attorney
“It was like watching a slow train wreck. No one got off." --Judge Baxter
“I am broke now. I have no retirement. All of it is gone." --former Dobbs Elementary principal Dana Evans
“I know you want to hear an admission of guilt, but I can’t do that.” --Dana Evans
"Take this mess and make a good thing out of it." --former Atlanta Mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young,
"There's more to this than let's just forget about it and move on." --Judge Baxter
“These people ... still have very much to give to our society.” --retired Fulton County Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore
