If O.J. had pleaded, his sentence would’ve been less stiff. Hall of Fame athlete and disgraced American hero O.J. Simpson could’ve probably done better than the 9- to 33-year sentence he received on Friday, a prosecutor says. A plea bargain in the Las Vegas case that found him accused of kidnapping, armed robbery and other felonies may have ensured that Simpson didn’t die in prison, says the Clark County official. Simpson was sentenced after standing trial on charges that he and several men bumrushed a Nevada hotel room and took valuable memorabilia from Simpson’s sports career from two collectors. Simpson has maintained that the souvenirs and family keepsakes were stolen from him and that he only took back his belongings. But a jury convicted both him and Clarence Stewart after several others accepted pleas. “What we have is satisfaction that this monster is where he belongs – behind bars,” says Fred Goldman, father of the man Simpson was acquitted of murdering in 1994.

Killer of T.I.’s assistant could get life sentence. A 35-year-old man has been convicted of killing rapper T.I.’s assistant in 2006. Hosea Thomas faces 20 years to life in prison after the freeway murder of Philant Johnson following an earlier beef at an Ohio club. Thomas was reportedly hit with a bottle in the incident and he and his brother chased down two of T.I.’s vans, seeking revenge. Thomas’ brother Padron Thomas will receive a lesser sentence in the incident after testifying that his sibling fired the fatal shot that hit Johnson in the temple.

Michael Vick’s sentence is reduced. Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Surry, Va., court to a state dogfighting charge, a move that could make him eligible for early release from prison and a quicker return to pro football. Vick, 28, also pleaded not guilty to a count of cruelty to animals, but that charge was dropped under his plea deal. He received a three-year suspended sentence – significantly less than the maximum of 10 years he could have faced. For now, Vick is serving a 23-month sentence in Leavenworth, Kan., on federal charges of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at the home he owned in eastern Virginia’s rural Surry County, southeast of Richmond. He also admitted to participating in the killing of several underperforming dogs.

Kwame Kilpatrick expected to begin jail time.

The ex-Detroit mayor who pleaded guilty last month to improper actions in office is expected to start serving jail time today. Kwame Kilpatrick will be sentenced by a Wayne County judge, in the wake of perjury, obstruction and abuse of office charges, and can be free on good behavior after about 100 days. Kilpatrick drew criminal charges when it was revealed that he lied under oath about an extra-marital affair with his aide during a 2007 lawsuit that he settled with ex-cops who may have exposed the relationship. The aide, Christine Beatty, also faces charges and is scheduled to go to trial in January. An exclusive Detroit restaurant declined to press charges against Kilpatrick last week after he allegedly skipped out on a bill, telling management to “charge it to the city.”  

Arthur Blank would love to see imprisoned ex-quarterback Michael Vick in a NFL uniform again – so long as it’s not a Falcons jersey. Atlanta’s team owner says he’s heard from Vick, who’s serving a federal prison sentence for illegal dog-fighting, but has not interest in re-hiring the disgraced player. “He’s written me and I’ve answered him,” Blank tells ESPN.com. “I certainly wish Michael well in the future. I believe in second chances. I believe in third chances. That doesn’t mean I believe in forever chances.” He adds that Atlanta has “turned the page” and has a “franchise quarterback” in Boston alum Matt Ryan. Get more at Playa Hater.

A Black man’s unfair sentence is reversed. An 18-year-old Black man who had been sentenced this summer to 10 years in prison on a drug charge had his term slashed to 10 years’ probation after his lawyers complained that his White co-defendants had been sentenced to probation only. When police busted into a northeast Dallas apartment in June 2006, they found Jonathan Danyell Brown next to a mountain of cocaine, a rifle and a handgun, reports The Dallas Morning News.  Also arrested were Tomie Jean Taylor and her husband, Dennis Earl Hughes, who authorities said leased the apartment, paid the bills and allowed Brown to use as his drug headquarters. Brown, who had dropped out of school to sell drugs, paid the 30-something couple with crack. The trio was facing the same drug-trafficking charge and had similar criminal histories. Prosecutors, however slapped Brown with the additional weapons charge. Get more on the story here. Should the sentence have been reduced?

Black LAPD officer wins $3 million judgment. A jury awarded $3.1 million Monday to a Los Angeles Police officer who was called a “rat” and racial slurs by his superiors and demoted after reporting on alleged misdeeds in his department. The jury believed Robert Hill’s claims that he was subjected to racism and retaliation after reporting that a sergeant possibly embezzled LAPD funds. Hill, a 25-year member of the force, said that the sergeant regularly dissed Blacks and Latinos, at one point saying, “If God loved them, why did he make them Black?” After reporting the incident, Hill said he was told to drop the complaint if he wanted to keep his job. When Hill refused, he was given a much less desirable job, he said in his court papers.  Hill’s attorney told jurors that Hill’s superiors “cooked up this scheme” to punish him for violating the department’s “code of silence.”

Rev. Jackson: Why not bail out struggling homeowners? There is something seriously wrong with a government that would spend $700 billion to bail out Wall Street but ignore homeowners who are fighting to pay their mortgages, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Saturday. “We must challenge plans that bail out the rich, yet put out the poor and put down the middle class,” said Jackson, who blames the current financial crisis on the Bush administration, the Federal Reserve, the Securities Exchange Commission and congressional oversight committees. “We can’t just bail out Wall Street and ignore Main Street. We must freeze foreclosures, and restructure and modify loans to protect the home equity of people defrauded and victimized by the sub-prime lending schemes.” Read what he wants Congress to do here. What do you think of the Bush administration’s plan to bail out Wall Street?