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Case could be a movie, Judge Krichbaum tells defendant
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Judge R. Scott Krichbaum said Thursday the firearms case involving 42-year-old Paul McKeever could very well be a movie.
The sentencing in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for McKeever, of Herbert Road in Canfield, included tales of undercover FBI agents, a parole officer who actually spoke on behalf of a defendant and devious sponsor families.
In the end, McKeever was given a two-year sentence on three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm stemming from a confession he made to parole agents earlier this year that he was helping his parole sponsor to clean firearms, a violation of his parole on previous sentences. He is not allowed to be around firearms – much less handle them.
Assistant Prosecutor Natasha Frenchko was recommending a sentence of four years. McKeever’s attorney, J.P. Laczko, argued for a lesser sentence. He said his client has a criminal record stretching back to when he was 18, but said at the time he was arrested on the charge, he was on probation and was keeping out of trouble.
Laczko said his client had a job and was following orders. He told the judge McKeever did not threaten anyone or use the weapons in any way but was simply cleaning them.
“It is not the worst form of the offense,” Laczko said.
Judge Krichbaum agreed, but also said McKeever, who has been paroled several times, should have known not to have even been around the firearms in the first place.
“He should get on the fastest horse in town and ride away whenever someone is around with a gun,” Judge Krichbaum said.
Laczko said the firearms belonged to a man who had taken McKeever in as a sponsor for the parole bureau and were not McKeever’s. Parole officer Jim Corrin told the judge that the person who sponsored McKeever, a counselor at a prison, assured authorities his weapons were under lock and key and inaccessible.
Corrin also said the sponsor and his wife allowed McKeever unsupervised contact with their 15-year-old daughter, such as allowing him to drive her places, which was a violation of McKeever’s parole. Corrin said McKeever was holding down a full-time job and getting counseling as required when he was arrested.
Additionally, Corrin said the sponsor couple claimed that McKeever was an undercover FBI agent. Frenchko said McKeever himself told that story as well.
Corrin said the couple is banned from sponsoring parolees again. The man still works for a prison, Corrin said.
“I’ve seen movies like this,” Corrin said.
Judge Krichbaum agreed.
“This could be a movie,” Judge Krichbaum said.
McKeever asked for a light sentence. He said he is not a bad person, he admitted his crimes and said he was trying to change his life.
“The penitentiary has really been a revolving door for me.” McKeever said. “They don’t care about me. I’m just a number.”