Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Missouri man Joseph Robert Meili, 22, received no jail time and was instead sentenced to five years of supervised probation on Friday for molesting an 11-year-old girl.
The outcome follows a pattern of other sexual assault cases in which the defendants, usually young white men such as convicted sex offender Brock Turner and accused rapist Jacob Walter Anderson, have gotten away with extremely lenient sentences.
Meili was charged with child kidnapping, statutory rape and statutory sodomy. He would later admit to committing a sex crime. But the 22-year-old man won’t face jail time for molesting the 11-year-old girl.
Meili was sentenced last week to five years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to one count of third-degree child molestation. He will also register as a sex offender. The sentencing, handed down by Judge Calvin R. Holden on June 14, went against the recommendation of state prosecutors, who asked that Meili serve 120 days in a sex offender treatment program and up to seven years in prison, according to the Springfield News-Leader. The Jefferson City News Tribune reported that the charges of child kidnapping, statutory rape and statutory sodomy were dropped as part of a plea agreement reached in March.
Meili’s attorney, Scott Pierson, argued that Meili was catfished by the girl and had no idea how old she really was.
Disgusting guy, couldn't tell an 11 year old 5th grader from an 18 year old - apparently didn't care enough to ask for ID.
Its interesting that the girls family agreed with the light sentence, the 3rd degree child molestation charge is also interesting...what exactly is '3rd degree child molestation'?
Also interesting is even the prosecutors were ONLY asking for 120 days in a treatment center and possibly 7 yrs in jail...normally when you hear of an 11 yr old being raped, the prosecutors ask for 20-30 or more years in prison, I wonder what it is about this case that made them treat it so differently?
I also think the website should bear some of the blame in this case, after all they had an 11 yr old girl using their services and 'misrepresenting' her age (hard to believe site admins would believe a picture of an 11 yr old is actually an 18 yr old).
When a women gets a slap on the wrist in these cases, we always hear about how it would have never happened if the perp was a man.
Im thinking there must be some aspect of this case, that makes prosecutors treat it so 'lightly', the article really didnt go into those details, but Im guessing this case was different in a few ways from others like it.
May have had something to do with him being evaluated and found NOT to be a pedophile.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Man convicted of molesting an 11-year-old girl - no jail time
