Judge Edward R. Korman has denied money launderer Arnold Budhram’s motion which sought to have his six-month house arrest sentence reduced by two months.
The judge on Wednesday denied the motion, which was filed by John Bergendahl in a New York court.
Bergendahl, who is the lawyer for Arnold’s wife Sabrina now serving a year and a day in prison for money laundering, in the motion to the judge noted that Arnold was initially arrested in March 2004 and pleaded guilty in October 2005. As a condition of his bond, he wore an ankle bracelet and was electronically monitored for over two years. The electronic monitoring component of his bond was removed in March 2008.
On October 31, 2008, Arnold was sentenced to six months house arrest with electronic monitoring. The conditions of his sentence were that he only be allowed to be out of the home 60 hours a week and he must stay home for one day a week, commonly referred to as lock-down. He also cannot travel outside the Eastern District of New York and according to the lawyer he has complied with all the requirements.
The lawyer had argued that because Sabrina has started serving her time it has led to Arnold needing more time away from home “in order to keep up his son’s needs, i.e., schooling, doctors’ appointments, and the like.”
“Above and beyond all of these needs, Mr Budhram would like to be able to visit with his wife at the MCC New York. MCC New York will not allow Mr Budhram access because of his ankle bracelet.”
For those reasons, the lawyer said, Arnold Budhram had requested a two-month early termination of his home confinement or alternatively the elimination of the electronic monitoring component of his sentence as it would mean he can then visit his wife.
The Budhrams were arrested and charged with money laundering on April 6, 2004 and investigators searched their home and work offices and gathered a large amount of evidential material. They were granted US$5 million bail each but were placed under electronic monitoring and were not allowed to leave their home without permission except to go to work.
The prosecution had revealed how Arnold Budhram, vice president at a bank, and Sabrina Budhram, a radiology technician, used a company they had set up and their connections to launder money for drug traffickers operating in Guyana.
