Despite his protestations and a jury's inability to reach a verdict, Gabriel Dean Watters is viewed by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez as someone who saw Hurricane Katrina as "an opportunity to make a buck."
Mendez is persuaded that Watters unlawfully acquired vehicles that had been submerged in the floodwaters that engulfed New Orleans in the aftermath of the 2005 storm, brought them back to Sacramento County and sold them to unsuspecting buyers.
But the jury could not unanimously reach that conclusion. Watters, operator of a Rio Linda tow truck company, was found guilty only of using a bogus receipt purportedly reflecting his purchase of four vehicles in a failed attempt to throw the feds off the scent.
On Tuesday, Mendez sentenced the 34-year-old Watters to three years and one month in prison, more than twice the term urged by defense attorney Mark Reichel, but nine months less than Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Steven Lapham wanted.