FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Bilen Mesfin, DA Harris’ Office, 553-1226
Debbie Mesloh, DA Harris’ Office, 553-1596
Charles Rothenberg Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in State Prison
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – District Attorney Kamala D. Harris announced today Charles Rothenberg, AKA Charley Charles, CTN 186227, has been sentenced to two concurrent 25 years to life sentences in state prison.
"It took us years and a series of court battles to get to this day, and it was worth every minute," said District Attorney Kamala D. Harris. "Rothenberg is the kind of notorious criminal that the Three Strikes law was designed for. He’s a menace and he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. I applaud Assistant District Attorney Matthews for her work in this case."
After deliberating a day and a half, a San Francisco jury found the defendant guilty in February 2005 of being a felon in possession of a loaded .38-caliber revolver and 44 rounds of ammunition. Police found the gun and bullets while investigating an arson fire in the defendant’s apartment building.
In January 2007, the California Court of Appeal decided that the defendant’s previous 1983 convictions involved multiple acts and multiple victims, thus making him eligible for sentencing under California's Three Strikes law. In 1983, the defendant was convicted of arson with great bodily injury and attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon and great bodily injury for setting his then 6-year-old son on fire.
Today, Judge Cynthia Lee in Dept. 25 sentenced the defendant to two concurrent sentences of 25 years to life in state prison.
The conviction is the result of an investigation by Inspector Jeff Levin of the San Francisco Police Department. Cheryl Matthews is the Assistant District Attorney who prosecuted the case.