A 90-year-old Indiana man who hauled cocaine to Michigan for drug dealers is spending his birthday in a Detroit courtroom.
Leo Sharp will learn Wednesday whether he goes to prison for his crime or gets a different punishment from federal Judge Nancy Edmunds. The drug courier pleaded guilty last fall, two years after he was arrested by Michigan State Police on Interstate 94.
Prosecutors are recommending a five-year prison sentence. They're urging the judge to look beyond Sharp's age and health issues and lock him up for delivering more than a ton of cocaine. The government says the Michigan City, Indiana, man was paid more than $1 million.
Sharp hopes to stay out of prison. His attorney says dementia and other issues would be a burden for the prison system.