SAN MARTIN
–– Confessed impostor Frederick McGrew pleaded no contest
Thursday to a felony charge of false personation, but he won’t
serve any more jail time. Judge Edward Lee agreed to sentence
McGrew to time served – five days – plus probation that would
probably last three years.
McGrew was convicted for posing as ex-NFL linebacker Lawrence
McGrew to get an assistant football coaching job at Gavilan
College
– a post he was fired from Sept. 9, the day before he was
arrested.
SAN MARTIN –– Confessed impostor Frederick McGrew pleaded no contest Thursday to a felony charge of false personation, but he won’t serve any more jail time. Judge Edward Lee agreed to sentence McGrew to time served – five days – plus probation that would probably last three years.
McGrew was convicted for posing as ex-NFL linebacker Lawrence McGrew to get an assistant football coaching job at Gavilan College – a post he was fired from Sept. 9, the day before he was arrested.
Until Thursday, McGrew had pleaded not guilty and insisted on his innocence, even though he had previously confessed to the deed in a Sept. 10 Gilroy police interview.
“I gave him the options and he decided to take care of the case today,” said Riccardo Ippolito, McGrew’s private lawyer from San Jose.
McGrew also told Gilroy police he used a Social Security number he took from the Internet on Gavilan employment paperwork. McGrew said he didn’t know whose number he used; it actually belongs to Eva Sowder, 75, of Ohio.
Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith planned to file a second false-personation count against McGrew in court Thursday regarding Sowder, but Judge Lee agreed to dismiss that felony charge on the condition that McGrew pay restitution to Sowder if she could prove financial loss from McGrew.
“There’s no evidence that she’s out one penny,” Ippolito said.
The maximum prison term for a felony false personation conviction is three years. McGrew will still have that hanging over his head if he violates his probation.
“We were seeking more (incarceration) time, but in the end, with one count, it’s the judge’s decision,” Smith said. “(Judge Lee) likened it to, if a DUI offender gets six days, is what he did more of a danger than what McGrew did? We thought (McGrew’s crime) deserved a more severe sentence.”
McGrew’s wrongdoing put the real Lawrence McGrew’s reputation at risk by leading people to believe the ex-pro was coaching at a junior college, Smith said. Sowder was at risk of having her Social Security benefits reduced or eliminated due to McGrew’s misuse of her number. Finally, Smith said, “Gavilan was affected because they relied on him, and not only did they lose a coach, they had a fraud pulled upon them.”
Lee will officially sentence McGrew on Jan. 26 in San Jose. McGrew specifically requested that his sentencing be there rather than San Martin.
“It’s a longer drive,” Ippolito said. “He lives in San Jose.”
McGrew moved from Gilroy after being released on bail and has said the publicity associated with his case has haunted him. Ippolito also suspected McGrew wanted to stay far away from the Gilroy Police Department after his high-tension arrest in September, although he said McGrew hadn’t told him this.
“If I was pulled over by GPD in front of the grocery store and forced out of my car at gunpoint for a non-violent offense, I’d have some concerns, too,” Ippolito said.
McGrew’s former phone number has been disconnected and he could not be reached for comment.
