The Black Informant

(wneg32.com) Supporters of the Georgia man in prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year old girl are willing to put up $1 million to secure his release.

According to Genarlow Wilson’s lawyer, the money should secure her clients release before a July 5th hearing.

At that hearing Georgia’s Attorney General plans to appeal a decision that threw out a 10 year felony prison sentence for Wilson.

“Consent to a bond presented to a judge. We have a good judge in this case who understands the law and the factors there. And Genarlow Wilson is a perfect candidate for bond,” B.J. Bernstein, Wilson’s attorney said at a press conference. (more…)

This whole case stinks the high heavens! Here is some additional info on this case:

From Wikipedia–

The conviction was based on an amateur video tape showing Wilson engaging in sex with a 17-year-old girl during a private party, and later receiving oral sex from from a 15-year-old girl. The video shows the 17-year-old girl on the bathroom floor, then later having sex with Wilson. She appeared sleepy or intoxicated during the sex act but did not ask Wilson to stop. Waking up naked and in a stupor the next morning, she claimed to have been raped. Investigating the alleged rape, police later found condoms and evidence of drinking, as well as the video camera, in the motel room used for the party.

A jury acquitted Wilson of raping the older girl, but convicted him of aggravated child molestation against the 15-year-old. The “aggravated” nature of the charge refers to fellatio (oral sex) rather than a mere “immoral or indecent act.” Had Wilson had intercourse with the 15-year-old and not received oral sex from her, he would have been subject to up to 12-month penalty (statutory rape), with no sex offender status, instead of the 10-year minimum term that the judge gave him. (Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 16-6-3 and 16-6-4)

Initial trial and plea deal

The 15 year old girl, who has remained unnamed in the press as a ‘victim of a sex offense’, has repeatedly stated that the act of oral sex was consensual, though she legally could not consent. The jury acquitted Wilson of the rape charge, but as the age of consent in Georgia is 16, they voted to convict him of aggravated child molestation for the oral sex incident, with the forewoman tearfully reading the verdict. Some jury members later complained they had not understood the verdict would result in a 10 year minimum sentence, plus one year on probation.

Wilson received the 10-year sentence following a refusal to enter into a proposed plea bargain, stating of his adamant belief that “It’s all about doing what’s right [...] And what’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. And I’m just standing up for what I believe in.” His decision, as well as his continued fight to overturn his conviction also take into account that sex offenders in Georgia must register themselves and are subject to penalty laws for life, and that the law was not intended to penalize teenage partners (a fact which has since been included in updated legislation). As the law stands, Wilson would not even be able to return to his own family after an early release, as he has an 8-year-old sister and would be forbidden contact. The other young males involved (including one charged for the same oral sex acts as Wilson) accepted plea bargains with the possibility of parole; they are required to register as convicted sex offenders. Wilson had been offered, and rejected, a plea bargain for a five year sentence with the possibility of parole before the trial. After the jury had returned the guilty verdict, the prosecutor offered the same 5-year plea bargain again, and Wilson refused again. Another young man involved in the case had accepted a similar 5-year plea bargain and was paroled after two years.

And throwing him in prison for this one offense has taught him what? Don’t touch our little White girls (girl could be Black)? While I do agree that Wilson should receive some sort of penalty for doing this (she was still a minor at the time), going into the slammer (especially for 10 years) is way over the top. The state of Georgia has just created another crop of folks who lack trust in their JUSTICE system.