GILROY
–– Over the urging of Probation Department staff and a
prosecutor for more jail time, a judge Monday sentenced confessed
impostor Frederick McGrew to probation, community service and
repaying his fraud victims’ losses, if any.
McGrew
– who got an assistant coaching job at Gavilan by pretending he
was retired NFL linebacker Lawrence
”
Larry
”
McGrew
– got the sentence he expected from Superior Court Judge Edward
Lee. It was what Lee and Frederick’s lawyer agreed upon two months
before, over the objection of Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith.
Knowing that he would likely face no jail time beyond the five days
he had already served, Frederic
k changed his plea from not guilty to no contest Dec. 4.
GILROY –– Over the urging of Probation Department staff and a prosecutor for more jail time, a judge Monday sentenced confessed impostor Frederick McGrew to probation, community service and repaying his fraud victims’ losses, if any.
McGrew – who got an assistant coaching job at Gavilan by pretending he was retired NFL linebacker Lawrence “Larry” McGrew – got the sentence he expected from Superior Court Judge Edward Lee. It was what Lee and Frederick’s lawyer agreed upon two months before, over the objection of Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith. Knowing that he would likely face no jail time beyond the five days he had already served, Frederick changed his plea from not guilty to no contest Dec. 4.
For impersonating Lawrence McGrew, Lee ordered Frederick to serve three years of supervised probation, do 160 hours of community service and pay restitution to victims of his crime, if any. Lee also ordered him to never again use any name but his real name, which is Frederick William McGrew III. In the past, Frederick has gone by Lawrence Frederick McGrew and Frederick Lawrence McGrew.
According to Smith, Probation Department staff wrote to Judge Lee recommending that Frederick do more jail time because he has been untruthful with them on multiple matters. This echoes Smith’s push for a stiffer sentence.
“We asked for more time from the beginning, but when he lied to Probation repeatedly, we just felt he didn’t deserve the bargain,” Smith said.
According to Smith, Frederick told Probation that Lawrence McGrew is his uncle, a claim he previously made to police and in court immediately after confessing that he was not, in fact, the ex-pro. The former NFLer told Gilroy police that Frederick is no relation of his. Frederick also lied to Probation about his father’s name and his own name, Smith said.
“There was very little he said that wasn’t a lie,” Smith said.
Restitution will depend on whether Lawrence McGrew, Gavilan College and Eva Sowder of Ohio – whose Social Security number Frederick admittedly stole from the Internet and used on his Gavilan paperwork – prove to the court they have suffered financial loss due to Frederick’s crime. None have yet formally requested repayment, but Gavilan officials plan to send McGrew a bill for restitution, college spokesperson Jan Bernstein Chargin said Tuesday.
First, though, college officials need to find out what they can claim and what they can’t.
“We will seek legal advice on what kinds of things are billable under restitution,” Bernstein Chargin said.
Frederick McGrew’s attorney, Riccardo Ippolito, of San Jose, did not return phone calls on this matter.
