Robert Guerrero, who was beaten so thoroughly by Floyd Mayweather back on May 4, can at least claim some victory in what was thought to be his second battle in two weeks – against the criminal justice system.
The charges stemming from an gun possession arrest at JFK International Airport have been dismissed, and he comes away from the whole affair with little more than a slap on the wrist. He now gets a lesser charge, a fine and community service.
On March 28, Guerrero had put himself in a compromising position by not being aware of gun laws as they exist in New York. He boarded a plane for Las Vegas with an unloaded pistol packed in his luggage, in a separate safe box, and let the authorities know about it. As a result, he was charged with one count of criminal possession of a firearm and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. he was looking at the possibility of four years in prison.
Guerrero’s manager said very little about it. Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions (which has a contract with Guerrero) said the four-division world champ’s intentions were innocent, and that he was only going to use the .40 caliber Smith & Wesson, which was registered in California, at a gun range in Las Vegas.
By all accounts, the arrest of Guerrero, who has a very clean and sympathetic image and in fact had just finished appearing on Pat Robertson’s “700 Club,” wasn’t looking like a major feather in the cap of New York’s Port Authority, although they had no choice. Mayweather nonetheless used it as grist for the mill, and Guerrero’s father then counterpunched with comments about Floyd’s “woman-beating.” Guerrero himself wasn’t overly concerned, and indicated that it served as no distraction in his preparations for the fight with Mayweather, who beat him on a unanimous decision.
“Everything has been taken care of” is what he was heard to have told reporters at a pre-fight press conference, giving some indication that there was a deal that was being worked out. The appearance in New York State Supreme Court for Queens County that was scheduled for Tuesday wound up resulting in a guilty plea to disorderly conduct, a fine of just $250 and an order to perform fifty hours of community service, which he can actually fulfill in California, where he lives.
The entirety of the circumstances was obviously taken into account, as Helen Peterson, a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney, pointed out that “the gun was voluntarily disclosed at the airport and that the gun was legal in his (Guerrero’s) home state.”
All this good news happens just in time for him to be honored with “Robert Guerrero Day” in his hometown of Gilroy, CA on May 18 (Saturday).
In a press release, Guerrero was quoted as saying, “I’m pleased that the District Attorney’s Office considered my case carefully and resolved it fairly. I never intended to violate New York law, but I know that ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Lesson learned. I’m happy this incident is behind me and looking forward to returning to the ring as well as serving my community as ordered by the court.”
On his official Twitter page, Guerrero tweeted, “Thank you to all the fans for the support! God Bless.”
