Lenny Dykstra Gets 3 Years for Grand Theft Auto
Former Mets and Phillies slugger Lenny Dykstra was sentenced to three years in prison for grand theft auto, despite his impassioned plea for leniency.
"I'm doing everything in my power to be a better person," Dykstra, 49, told a Los Angeles judge at his sentencing Monday, the Associated Press reports.
But the judge said Dykstra's conduct "was indeed criminal" -- the latest in a series of legal problems that have included assault, indecent exposure, and alleged possession of cocaine, ecstasy, and synthetic human growth hormone.
In the case that led to Monday's sentencing, police arrested Lenny Dykstra in April 2011 in connection with grand theft auto and filing false financial statements. Dykstra, a three-time MLB All-Star, allegedly used false information to score loans for expensive cars, CNN reports.
Police arrested Dykstra at his home in Encino, Calif., where they also found cocaine, ecstasy, and human growth hormone, according to CNN. Dykstra's drug possession charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain for the grand theft auto charge.
In a separate case, Lenny Dykstra is also charged with bankruptcy fraud, after he claimed more than $31 million in debts and only $50,000 in assets, CBS News reports. Prosecutors allege Dykstra hid, sold, or destroyed many of his assets without permission of a bankruptcy trustee.
And in yet another case, Dykstra pleaded not guilty to indecent exposure in August 2011. Dykstra posted online ads for housekeepers, and then allegedly exposed himself to women who responded to the ads, the AP reported.
Though Lenny Dykstra was sentenced to three years in prison for grand theft auto, he's been in custody for nearly a year. That time will be credited toward his sentence, the AP reports.
Related Resources:
- Lenny Dykstra sentenced to three years in prison (The Associated Press)
- Plea Bargains Overview (FindLaw)
- Browse Criminal Defense Lawyers by Location (FindLaw)
- Lenny Dykstra's Drug, Auto Theft Felony Charges Laid Out (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)