STATE OF UTAH, Appellee, v. DYLAN HURWITZ, Appellant.
No. 20200657-CA
THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS
Filed October 28, 2021
2021 UT App 112
JUDGE RYAN M. HARRIS authored this Opinion, in which JUDGES GREGORY K. ORME and DAVID N. MORTENSEN concurred.
Fourth District Court, Provo Department
The Honorable Thomas Low
No. 191403833
Emily Adams, Attorney for Appellant
Sean D. Reyes and Emily Sopp, Attorneys for Appellee
Opinion
¶1 During the COVID-19 pandemic, Utah courts have been required to conduct most of their hearings and proceedings remotely, through online videoconferencing platforms. In this case, the district court conducted Dylan Hurwitz‘s sentencing hearing via videoconference, with the participants dialing in from several different locations. Hurwitz participated from the county jail, where he was located in a room that did not lend itself well to a clear audio connection. The central question in this case is whether Hurwitz‘s personal statement, offered remotely from that room at the jail, could adequately be heard by the district court and the other participants at the hearing.
¶2 At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, the district court sentenced Hurwitz to prison on seven felonies—including burglary and theft—to which he had pled guilty. Hurwitz now appeals that sentence, claiming that he was not afforded an adequate opportunity to allocute; in particular, he asserts that his sentence was therefore illegal under
BACKGROUND
¶3 Over the course of the summer of 2019, Hurwitz and a friend broke into and stole from several local small businesses. They were eventually caught, but not before they caused nearly $200,000 worth of damage—both in terms of stolen items and property damage—to the businesses. The State charged Hurwitz with more than twenty crimes in five separate cases; the charges ranged from aggravated burglary to criminal
¶4 Over the next month, Adult Probation and Parole (AP&P) prepared a presentence report (PSR) for the court‘s benefit at sentencing. Included in the PSR was a personal statement from Hurwitz, in which he expressed that he felt “terrible” about the crimes he committed, that he was newly motivated to change his life for the benefit of his fiancée and young daughter, and that he wanted to remain out of custody and on probation so that he could begin to pay restitution to the burglary and theft victims. AP&P recommended that Hurwitz be afforded the opportunity for probation, rather than be sent to prison, contingent on Hurwitz serving a short jail sentence and paying restitution.
¶5 The sentencing hearing was not held in person because of health concerns related to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the district court conducted the sentencing hearing over an online videoconferencing platform. The court conducted the hearing from chambers, and all the other participants joined the hearing via video from other locations. Hurwitz participated in the hearing from a room at the county jail. No live court reporter was present; instead, the hearing was recorded through videoconferencing software, and that recording could later be used to create a transcript of the proceedings, if necessary.
¶6 At the beginning of the hearing, Hurwitz‘s attorney (Counsel) addressed the court, and asked it to follow AP&P‘s recommendation, emphasizing Hurwitz‘s remorse and his eagerness to get to work so that he could start paying restitution. Counsel also directed the court‘s attention to several letters that had been submitted in support of Hurwitz, from family and friends, attesting to Hurwitz‘s character and willingness to make the situation right. The court then heard statements from Hurwitz‘s mother, father, and fiancée, all of whom likewise spoke of Hurwitz‘s remorse, willingness to change, and willingness to pay restitution. Hurwitz‘s fiancée, in particular, emphasized that Hurwitz was willing to change his ways due to the recent birth of their infant daughter.
¶7 The State then addressed the court, and asked it to sentence Hurwitz to prison. The State noted that Hurwitz had not been successful on probation in the past, and argued that Hurwitz was “not a good candidate for probation” and was a danger to society. The State also directed the court‘s attention to impact statements that had been submitted by three of the burglary victims.
¶8 Up until that point in the sentencing hearing, the audio quality of the videoconference appears to have been excellent, with all participants able to hear one another; the official transcript of the proceeding up to that point contains no indication of any audio difficulties.
¶9 The court then provided Hurwitz with the opportunity to speak on his own behalf. But due to the conditions in the room at the jail where Hurwitz was located—including perhaps the distance between Hurwitz and the microphone—Hurwitz‘s words were apparently more difficult to hear and understand than the other participants’ had been. At the outset of Hurwitz‘s remarks, the court noted that Hurwitz‘s voice was “echoey” and asked Hurwitz to move closer to the microphone if possible. Indeed, the certified court transcriber later noted in the transcript that she “was unable to hear and understand [Hurwitz] due to a very muffled record.” Apparently due to the transcriber‘s inability to understand Hurwitz‘s words on the recording, the official transcript of Hurwitz‘s statement is riddled with the notation “(inaudible).”1 As a result, when one reviews the transcript of Hurwitz‘s statement, it is difficult to make out even the general gist of what he said to the court.
¶11 At the conclusion of the hearing, the court sentenced Hurwitz to prison, with some (but not all) of the sentences to run consecutively to the others. In addition, the court imposed a fine and ordered Hurwitz to pay restitution. The court acknowledged that Hurwitz was said to be “a devoted father” and “very intelligent and very employable,” but in the court‘s view the “offenses were characterized by extreme depravity” and “excessive property damage,” and the victims sustained “substantial psychological injuries.” The court observed that previous incarceration had not “had any deterrent effect on [Hurwitz‘s] behavior,” and offered its view that prison was the only option left “to incapacitate [Hurwitz] and make a period of time for the community when we‘re safe from his actions and he‘s no longer terrorizing local businesses.” The court explained that, among other things, the sentence was intended to “make sure that there was a very heavy consequence for future violations of parole,” and to allow parole officials to keep Hurwitz incarcerated for “decades” if necessary.
¶12 After Hurwitz appealed his sentence and noted the unintelligible transcript, the parties agreed to supplement the appellate record by including the raw audio recording. We note the unusual nature of this stipulation: in nearly all instances, the official appellate record of what happened at a court hearing is the certified court transcriber‘s transcript of the proceedings, not the audio recording of the proceedings. See
court for his actions and apologized vigorously to the victims of his crimes. He discussed his family, including his infant daughter, and indicated a desire to do better by his fiancée and daughter, as well as a desire to work to support them financially. He informed the court that he had already secured steady employment and that he was able to begin paying restitution. He also asked the court for mercy and to be afforded the opportunity of probation once again.
ISSUES AND STANDARDS OF REVIEW
¶13 Hurwitz appeals his sentence, and raises two separate challenges for our review. First, he asserts that his right of allocution was violated, and contends that he is therefore entitled to a correction of sentence pursuant to rule 22 of the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure. Whether a sentence is subject to correction under rule 22 presents a question of law “which we review for correctness, granting no particular deference to the conclusions of the [district] court.” See State v. Kelson, 2015 UT App 91, ¶ 5, 348 P.3d 373 (quotation simplified). Second, Hurwitz claims that Counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance when he did not ensure that Hurwitz‘s statement was intelligible to the court during sentencing.3
“When a claim of ineffective assistance of
ANALYSIS
I
¶14 Hurwitz first asserts that he is entitled to relief under
¶15 As an initial matter, we reject the argument, implied in Hurwitz‘s briefing, that the previous version of rule 22(e) applies to his case. The current version of the rule went into effect in 2017, well before Hurwitz (in 2019) committed the burglaries and thefts that form the basis for his prosecution here. Courts apply the version of the rule that was in effect at the time of the event or occurrence being regulated, see State v. Clark, 2011 UT 23, ¶ 11, 251 P.3d 829, and—regardless whether that occurrence is the underlying crime or the imposition of sentence—that principle of law dictates that the post-2017 version of rule 22(e) applies here, see State v. Wilkerson, 2020 UT App 160, ¶¶ 23–24, 478 P.3d 1048 (refusing to apply the previous version of rule 22(e) in a case in which all relevant events occurred after the 2017 amendment).
¶16 Prior to the 2017 amendment, subsection (e) of rule 22—which rule sets forth procedures governing the sentencing of criminal defendants—contained “sweeping” language that allowed a court to “correct an illegal sentence, or a sentence imposed in an illegal manner, at any time.” See State v. Candedo, 2010 UT 32, ¶ 9, 232 P.3d 1008 (quotation simplified); see also
¶17 Hurwitz makes no argument under five of the six subsections set forth in rule 22(e)(1). But Hurwitz argues that his sentence falls within the condition outlined in subsection (e)(1)(F), which requires a court to correct a sentence if it “omits a condition required by statute.” As Hurwitz sees it, that subsection applies here, because rule 22 affords
¶18 As we explain below, Hurwitz was not denied an opportunity to make a statement to the court at the sentencing hearing. See infra Part II. But even if he had been, that denial would not have resulted in his actual sentence—imposed after the sentencing hearing—omitting any condition required by statute or rule. As we interpret subsection (e)(1)(F), that provision concerns the substance of the punishments to which a defendant is sentenced (e.g., jail or prison time, fines, restitution, conditions of probation), and not the procedures observed by a court during a sentencing hearing. Hurwitz makes no assertion that any provision of his actual sentence—e.g., his prison term, his fine, or his restitution amount—omits any condition required by statute. A defendant whose right to allocution was impaired may, in appropriate cases, be entitled to relief under
¶19 On this basis, we reject Hurwitz‘s request for correction of sentence under
(…continued) rule 22(e) claim fails on another ground. See State v. Kitches, 2021 UT App 24, ¶ 28, 484 P.3d 415 (explaining that, in the interest of judicial economy, “if the merits of a claim can easily be resolved in favor of the party asserting that the claim was not preserved, we readily may opt to do so without addressing preservation“).
II
¶20 Next, Hurwitz claims that Counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to ensure that Hurwitz‘s sentencing statement was audible and intelligible. We reject this argument, because our analysis of the record reveals that the court was able to hear Hurwitz well enough, and that Counsel did not perform deficiently by failing to flag the issue during the hearing.
¶21 To prove ineffective assistance of counsel, Hurwitz must demonstrate both that Counsel‘s “performance was deficient,” and that this deficient performance prejudiced him. See Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 694 (1984). “Because both prongs of the Strickland test must be met to establish ineffective assistance of counsel,” we need not address both prongs if a defendant‘s claim clearly fails on one of them. See State v. Fleming, 2019 UT App 181, ¶ 9, 454 P.3d 862 (quotation simplified); see also Strickland, 466 U.S. at 697 (stating that “there is no reason for a court deciding an ineffective assistance claim . . . to address both components of the inquiry if the defendant makes an insufficient showing on one“). In this case, Hurwitz cannot demonstrate that Counsel rendered deficient performance, and we therefore limit our discussion largely to that component of the inquiry.5
¶22 In assessing whether Counsel‘s performance was deficient, we apply “the deficiency standard announced in Strickland” and ask whether Counsel‘s actions “fell below an objective standard of reasonableness.” See State v. Scott, 2020 UT
13, ¶ 31, 462 P.3d 350 (quotation simplified); see also Archuleta v. Galetka, 2011 UT 73, ¶ 38, 267 P.3d 232 (“To prevail, a defendant must show . . . that his counsel rendered a deficient performance in some demonstrable manner,” and that counsel‘s “performance fell below an objective standard of reasonable professional judgment.” (quotation simplified)). In evaluating an attorney‘s performance, we give that attorney “wide latitude in making tactical decisions and will not question such decisions unless there is no reasonable basis supporting them.” State v. Crosby, 927 P.2d 638, 644 (Utah 1996). Thus, for Hurwitz to meet his burden of demonstrating deficient performance, he must show that Counsel acted in an objectively unreasonable manner by failing to alert the court to potential audio problems with Hurwitz‘s statement.
¶23 If Hurwitz could show—perhaps with the aid of an unreadable transcript, combined with other evidence—that the statement he offered to the sentencing court was in fact unintelligible, he might well be able to demonstrate that Counsel performed deficiently by not flagging the issue during
¶24 But that is not what happened here. Notwithstanding the state of the transcript, Hurwitz‘s statement was audible and intelligible to the court, and we know this because the actual audio recording of the sentencing hearing was made part of the appellate record by stipulation. We have listened to the recording of Hurwitz‘s statement, and have ascertained for ourselves that Hurwitz‘s words were nowhere near as unintelligible as the original transcript makes them out to be. Compare Addendum B, with Addendum A. While the quality of the audio is not ideal, nearly all of Hurwitz‘s words are audible and intelligible. One can hear Hurwitz express remorse for his actions, and apologize to the victims of his crimes. One can hear his discussion of his family, especially his fiancée and infant daughter, and one can hear him express his desire to do better by them and support them emotionally and financially. One can hear him inform the court of his desire to pay restitution, and that he had already secured steady employment to facilitate those payments. And one can hear Hurwitz ask the court for mercy, and to be afforded one more opportunity for probation.
¶25 When one realizes that nearly all of Hurwitz‘s words were audible and intelligible, and that the message Hurwitz was trying to convey to the court came through with sufficient clarity, Counsel‘s decision not to raise any objection to the quality of the audio comes into focus. After listening to the recording, we can certainly understand why a reasonable attorney would feel no need to object. And this conclusion is further supported by the district court‘s own behavior. At the outset of Hurwitz‘s statement, the court noted the “echoey” nature of Hurwitz‘s audio, and invited Hurwitz to move closer to the microphone, but gave no further indication that it could not hear and understand the statement Hurwitz offered. Indeed, after Hurwitz finished talking, the court made comments indicating that it had been able to understand Hurwitz‘s presentation, telling Hurwitz that it was “good to see that you acknowledge that you‘ve compromised a lot of people.” A reasonable attorney, after listening to Hurwitz‘s statement and the court‘s post-statement comments, could very well have determined that the court was able to hear Hurwitz‘s statement well enough and that no objection was necessary.
¶26 On this record—which includes the actual audio recording of the sentencing hearing—Hurwitz cannot demonstrate that Counsel performed deficiently by not objecting to the intelligibility of Hurwitz‘s sentencing statement. Accordingly, Hurwitz cannot demonstrate that Counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance.
III
¶27 Although we have disposed of both of Hurwitz‘s appellate arguments, we take this opportunity to comment on some of the issues brought to the fore by the circumstances of this case. This is one of the first “unintelligible transcript” cases from the COVID-19 era to reach the appellate courts, but we anticipate that it will not be the last. We therefore offer some words of caution and advice to attorneys, courts, court staff, and certified transcribers, in an effort to perhaps improve the quality of transcripts before they reach us, and to perhaps lessen procedural frustration in future similar cases.
¶28 We encourage courts, attorneys, and court staff to speak up, in the moment, if they perceive any doubt about whether a person addressing a court can adequately be heard. Such issues are always easier to remedy if they are caught while the hearing is still going on. Courts should get in the habit, if they are not already, of periodically checking
¶29 We also note the importance of providing certified transcribers—who, as noted, in our system are usually not present at the time the hearing occurs and are nearly always asked to create a transcript, after the fact, from an audio recording—with the highest quality recording possible. To the extent there exist ways to improve the quality of the recordings ultimately provided to transcribers, we encourage exploration of those avenues.
¶30 Next, we emphasize to transcribers the duty to carefully listen to audio recordings, more than once if necessary, to glean from those recordings the maximum possible number of words. We recognize that the audio quality of recordings—and even of different witnesses within the same recording—will vary, and we acknowledge that creating a transcript from an audio recording is an inherently difficult and detailed task. We also acknowledge the possibility that the quality of the audio recording provided to the transcriber in this case was not as good as the quality of the audio recording placed in the appellate record. But we cannot overemphasize the importance to our judicial system of having an accurate transcript of court proceedings, including those proceedings that take place remotely via videoconference.
¶31 Finally, we note the unusual nature of the procedure invoked by the parties in this case. Ordinarily, the certified transcript of court proceedings constitutes the official appellate record of those proceedings. See
If any difference arises as to whether the record truly discloses what occurred in the trial court, the difference shall be submitted to and settled by that court and the record made to conform to the truth.
¶32 Nevertheless, in this case we went ahead and listened to the audio recording made available to us, and drew our own conclusions about the intelligibility of the statement Hurwitz made at the sentencing hearing. We did this for four reasons. First, no party asked us to do otherwise; indeed, the parties stipulated to the supplementation of the appellate record to include the audio recording, thereby expressing a mutual desire for us to listen to that recording and compare it to the transcript. Second, the disputed portion of the transcript was relatively short, comprising approximately three pages. Third, this case is the first “unintelligible transcript” case to reach us in the COVID-19 era, and we wished to issue some guidance for bench and bar. Finally, and most importantly, the issue raised here was whether Counsel rendered ineffective assistance, and to resolve that issue we did not need to necessarily find facts regarding exactly what Hurwitz said at the hearing; rather, we simply needed to ascertain whether the recording was intelligible enough for a reasonable attorney to have forgone an objection under the circumstances.
¶33 Thus, this is an exceptional case. We caution attorneys that, in most cases, we will be far less willing to listen to an audio recording to resolve a dispute regarding the
¶34 We do not know how long this pandemic will last, but in any event we can envision our trial courts conducting at least some hearings via videoconference for quite some time to come. It is important that attorneys, courts, court staff, and certified transcribers do all that they can to ensure accuracy and intelligibility in audio recordings and transcripts, and for attorneys to follow
CONCLUSION
¶35 We reject Hurwitz‘s assertion that his sentence requires correction under
Addendum A
Hurwitz Sentencing Hearing
Original Transcript
(with redactions for privacy purposes)
2 still be dangerous to society. And he‘s demonstrated that over
3 the last 13 years in the history (inaudible).
4 So we‘d ask the Court to deviate from the PSI and
5 order that he serve prison on these cases concurrent.
6 THE COURT: All right. Thank you, Mr. Kinnerley.
7 Mr. Parmley, do you want to say anything else before you turn
8 time over to your client?
9 MR. PARMLEY: Just, your Honor, that there was a gap
10 of a couple of years, looks like at least two years between
11 Mr. Hurwitz‘s release from federal custody and commission of
12 these new offenses. He did have a period of time of a couple
13 years where he was demonstrating that he can stay on the right
14 side of the law.
15 He made a terrible choice to get back with [REDACTED]
16 [REDACTED] who was his codefendant back in 2014 at that burglary
17 incident as well. If he cuts off that tie and that
18 communication, he knows that he‘s smart enough. He knows that
19 he‘s capable enough of earning a legitimate income to support
20 himself and his family. And that would be our request that he
21 be allowed the opportunity to do so and to work to make right
22 the economic harm that was caused.
23 With that, your Honor, we‘ll -- Mr. Hurwitz has a
24 statement he‘s prepared.
25 THE COURT: All right. Thank you. Mr. Hurwitz, now
2 (The transcriber was unable to hear and understand
3 the defendant due to a very muffled record.)
4 THE DEFENDANT: Thanks, your Honor. (Inaudible)
5 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible). Good morning,
6 your Honor. I‘d like to start off by apologizing (inaudible)
7 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible.)
8 THE COURT: You‘re cutting -- is there a way you can
9 get closer to the microphone?
10 THE DEFENDANT: Yeah, I can. Can you hear me?
11 THE COURT: It‘s not that you‘re cutting so much as
12 it‘s echoey. I‘m going to mute my microphone and ask the
13 others to mute theirs and see if it helps, but it may be the
14 room you‘re in. Let‘s try again.
15 THE DEFENDANT: Okay. Can you hear me now? Good
16 morning, your Honor. I‘d like to start off by apologizing
17 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible).
18 This is not who I am and I have beat myself up every day
19 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) me away from my family and
20 our daughter who was only one month old when I was arrested
21 (inaudible) (inaudible).
22 Now she is (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
23 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
24 (inaudible) (inaudible). (Inaudible) and I want (inaudible)
25 (inaudible) and I want (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible
1 (inaudible). I want to change (inaudible) (inaudible)
2 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible). I did this because I was
3 scared (inaudible) that I didn‘t have enough (inaudible)
4 (inaudible).
5 (Inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible).
6 (Inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible). I
7 know where I went wrong and (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
8 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
9 (inaudible). I am not the man I was one year ago (inaudible)
10 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible). (Inaudible) (inaudible)
11 (inaudible). (Inaudible). I‘ve secured employment (inaudible)
12 (inaudible) airport (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) and as
13 well as Wyoming working for (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
14 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible).
15 I also still (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
16 because I want to make things right (inaudible) (inaudible)
17 (inaudible) (inaudible)
18 (inaudible) (inaudible). (Inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
19 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
20 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) [REDACTED] and all of
21 their employees.
22 I just want them to know how sorry I am for
23 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) and I am taking all of the
24 rights steps and making (inaudible) (inaudible). I want
25 [REDACTED] to know that I am (inaudible) (inaudible)
1 (inaudible) (inaudible). (Inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible).
2 Once I am released I am going to complete (inaudible), continue
3 to work hard, provide for my family, work towards a career,
4 stay away from negative (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
5 (inaudible).
6 (Inaudible) (inaudible) successful (inaudible) the
7 right way (inaudible) (inaudible). What I did was wrong and
8 embarrassing to myself, my family. This is not (inaudible).
9 The life I want is sitting at home (inaudible). I want to be a
10 great father, great husband and a respectful (inaudible)
11 person. Once again, I apologize for what my actions caused
12 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible).
13 Please allow me one chance, your Honor, (inaudible)
14 (inaudible) (inaudible) get back to work (inaudible)
15 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible), please, your
16 Honor. If I may just (inaudible) (inaudible). I really am
17 sorry for what I did. (Inaudible) (inaudible) my behavior.
18 Yeah, I do have (inaudible) (inaudible). (Inaudible)
19 (inaudible). I don‘t have an excuse (inaudible). (Inaudible)
20 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible).
21 I have a daughter at home (inaudible) (inaudible)
22 (inaudible) (inaudible) and I don‘t live this life anymore. I
23 want to be (inaudible) them. (Inaudible) sorry. (Inaudible)
24 and the victims in this case (inaudible) and just say sorry to
25 my family. I won‘t disappoint anybody again. (Inaudible)
2 want to change and I am changing. Please (inaudible) just one
3 more chance, just one chance to do (inaudible) (inaudible).
4 I‘ll complete probation. I‘ll show everybody
5 that I (inaudible) (inaudible). Thank you. (Inaudible)
6 (inaudible).
7 THE COURT: All right. Thank you, Mr. Hurwitz, for
8 that statement.
9 THE DEFENDANT: Thank you.
10 THE COURT: I acknowledge you‘ve been in jail for a
11 long time, eight months. And it‘s good to see that you
12 acknowledge that you‘ve compromised a lot of people. It‘s
13 disappointing. I guess any business is vulnerable to some
14 extent, but these were all (inaudible) owned, small family kind
15 of businesses. This is really heartbreaking.
16 I‘m going to make some findings from Form 6 on the
17 presentence report. The Court agrees with the probation writer
18 that -- sorry with the PSA writer that these crimes caused
19 substantial monetary loss. Sometimes damage to the building
20 and property was much worse than the cash actually obtained.
21 The Court finds from these victim impact statements
22 that these crimes caused substantial psychological injuries
23 that many individuals, employees involved required counseling.
24 Business owners that couldn‘t even conduct their business for a
25 period of time because of damage to their property.
Hurwitz Sentencing Hearing
Reconstituted Transcript
(with redactions for privacy purposes)
1 it‘s your chance to make your statement. Go ahead.
2 (The transcriber was unable to hear and understand the
3 defendant due to a very muffled record.)
4 THE DEFENDANT:Thanks, your Honor. Um, I wrote, I was going to
5 speak on, about the (Inaudible) Good morning, your Honor.
6 I‘d like to start off by apologizing (inaudible) everyone
7 else (inaudible) decisions and actions.
8 THE COURT: You‘re cutting -- is there a way you can
9 get closer to the microphone?
10 THE DEFENDANT: Yeah, I can. Can you hear me?
11 THE COURT: It‘s not that you‘re cutting so much as
12 it‘s echoey. I‘m going to mute my microphone and ask the
13 others to mute theirs and see if it helps, but it may be the
14 room you‘re in. Let‘s try again
15 THE DEFENDANT: Okay. Can you hear me now? Good
16 morning, your Honor. I‘d like to start off by apologizing to the
17 court, (inaudible)and friends and family who have been affected by
18 my decisions and actions. This is not who I am and I have beat
19 myself up every day for the last 245 days (inaudible) my actions
20 have taken me away from my fiancee and our daughter who was only one
21 month old when I was arrested and sent to jail. Now she is smiling,
22 crawling and learning to talk and figure out the world while I have
23 sat here (inaudible)fiancee(inaudible) do all the work (inaudible)
24 by herself during this whole covid pandemic. I know what I did was
25 wrong, and I want to fix this mess and do better(inaudible)I want to
26 change this perception I‘ve created about myself because of all this
27 because that is not who I am.
2 have enough (inaudible). I didn‘t think the job I had
3 (inaudible) enough to provide for my family. I was stupid and
4 foolishly reached out for help in the wrong direction and
5 allowed poor choices to be followed by other poor choices. I
6 jeopardized my safety, freedom, while causing my fiancee and
7 our newborn to struggle for the past eight months alone.
8 I know where I went wrong and I know that that (inaudible)
9 (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible)
10 (inaudible). I am not the man I was one year ago and I‘m going
11 to show everyone (inaudible) (inaudible). To start off my way
12 by applying for my release from here I‘ve secured employment
13 here in Utah doing carpentry work at the airport making 3500
14 plus and as well as Wyoming working for Cyclone drilling three
15 weeks out of the month bringing home 4500 dollars to five plus
16 depending upon my work progression. I also still have web
17 design clients I may still be able to service in my spare
18 time. (Inaudible) of these jobs, even though it‘s not a lot, I
19 can start paying back (Inaudible) (inaudible) decisions
20 because I want to make things right and pay back every last
21 cent I took no matter how long it takes. Being in here for the
22 time I have been in here has give me time to think about how
23 my actions have affected [REDACTED], [REDACTED],
24 [REDACTED] and all of their employees. I just want them to
25 know how sorry I am for my behavior and poor choices and I am
26 taking all of the right steps and making them all whole again.
27 I want [REDACTED] to know that I am
2 and hopefully bring them peace of mind. Once I am released I am
3 going to complete (inaudible), continue to work hard, provide for
4 my family, work towards a career, stay away from negative peers
5 (inaudible) productive member of society. I plan on becoming a
6 successful (inaudible) the right way (inaudible) (inaudible).
7 What I did was wrong and embarrassing to myself, my family. This
8 is not the life I want to live. The life I want is sitting at
9 home waiting for me. I want to be a great father, great
10 husband and a respectful and trustworthy person. Once again, I
11 apologize for what my actions caused and I am willing to do
12 everything it takes to make it right (inaudible) (inaudible).
13 Please allow me one chance, your Honor, to go home to
14 my family, provide for my family(inaudible) (inaudible) get back
15 to work and start paying back restitution(inaudible) (inaudible)
16 (inaudible), please, your Honor. If I may just add a few more
17 things. I really am sorry for what I did.Um, there‘s no excuse
18 for my behavior. Yeah, I do have a bit of a past (inaudible) I
19 wasn‘t (inaudible)the best of kids. I don‘t have an excuse for
20 that. I was a knucklehead. I‘ve grown every year. Yea, I‘ve made
21 some mistakes but this is the last. I have a daughter at home
22 that I haven‘t seen. They‘ve been struggling and I don‘t want to
23 live this life anymore. I want to work hard for them and just be
24 a good person. sorry. to you all, and the court, and the
25 victims in this case (inaudible) and just say sorry to my family.
26 I won‘t disappoint anybody again. I‘m gonna be good.
2 and I am changing. Please I‘d ask just one more chance, just
3 one chance to do (inaudible) (inaudible) (inaudible). I‘ll
4 complete probation. I‘ll show everybody that I can do it
5 (inaudible). Thank you. (Inaudible) listening to me
6 (inaudible).
7 THE COURT: All right. Thank you, Mr. Hurwitz, for
8 that statement.
9 THE DEFENDANT: Thank you.
10 THE COURT: I acknowledge you‘ve been in jail for a
11 long time, eight months. And it‘s good to see that you
12 acknowledge that you‘ve compromised a lot of people. It‘s
13 disappointing. I guess any business is vulnerable to some
14 extent, but these were all (inaudible) owned, small family kind
15 of businesses. This is really heartbreaking.
16 I‘m going to make some findings from Form 6 on the
17 presentence report. The Court agrees with the probation writer
18 that -- sorry with the PSA writer that these crimes caused
19 substantial monetary loss. Sometimes damage to the building
20 and property was much worse than the cash actually obtained.
21 The Court finds from these victim impact statements
22 that these crimes caused substantial psychological injuries
23 that many individuals, employees involved required counseling.
24 Business owners that couldn‘t even conduct their business for a
25 period of time because of damage to their property.