rediff.com News
      HOME | US EDITION | REPORT
October 5, 2002
2110 IST

 US city pages

  - Atlanta
  - Boston
  - Chicago
  - DC Area
  - Houston
  - Jersey Area
  - Los Angeles
  - New York
  - SF Bay Area


 US yellow pages

 Archives

 - Earlier editions 

 Channels

 - Astrology 
 - Cricket
 - Money
 - Movies
 - Women 
 - India News
 - US News

 India Abroad
Weekly Newspaper

  In-depth news

  Community Focus

  16 Page Magazine
For 4 free issues
Click here!




 Search the Internet
         Tips
E-Mail this report to a friend
Print this page Best Printed on  HP Laserjets

Lakireddy may be released two years earlier

Suleman Din in New York

Lakireddy Bali Reddy, 65, wants to get out of jail two years before schedule.

The Berkeley landlord pleaded guilty in March 2001 to charges of sexually exploiting minor girls, whom he used to illegally bring from his native Indian village, and committing tax fraud.

Reddy is lodged in Lompoc federal prison in Santa Barbara county and his term is supposed to end on March 9, 2008.

Soon after the sentence was announced, it was revealed that a court translator, Uma Rao, had told victims to add to their stories, while another sent a letter to a judge asking for tough punishment for Reddy.

Following the revelation, Reddy's lawyer, Ted Cassman, filed papers on September 18 requesting US District Judge Claudia Wilken to reduce the prison term.

Reddy's conviction and sentence were fair despite the alleged tampering, said Assistant US Attorney Stephen Corrigan, who approved Cassman's request.

Wilken is expected to make a ruling on the request on October 28.

The charges of tampering crippled the prosecution's case and Reddy's relatives, who were also sentenced, got away with lighter punishment.

One of his two sons, Vijay Kumar Lakireddy, pleaded guilty on June 26 to charges of immigration fraud. A sexual misconduct charge against him was dropped as a result of the interpreters' actions. He is likely to be sentenced in November.

Reddy's younger son, Prasad Lakireddy, has requested that all 21 charges against him be dismissed. In an interview with rediff.com, Prasad emphatically said he was innocent. His trial is scheduled for January 6, 2003.

Also serving time for immigration fraud from the Reddy family are Vijay's uncle Jayaprakash and aunt Annapurna, who pleaded guilty two days before Reddy. Annapurna got six months of home monitoring, while Jayaprakash has to complete a year in a halfway house.

The family's activities came to light when one Chanti Prattipati (17) died of carbon monoxide poisoning in an apartment belonging to Reddy on November 24, 1999. She was pregnant with Reddy's child.

Her sister, who was also in the apartment, survived.

The Reddy Scandal: The Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report

ADVERTISEMENT      
NEWS | MONEY | SPORTS | MOVIES | CHAT | CRICKET | SEARCH
ASTROLOGY | CONTESTS | E-CARDS | NEWSLINKS | ROMANCE | WOMEN
SHOPPING | BOOKS | MUSIC | PERSONAL HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL| MESSENGER | FEEDBACK