August 22, 2007

BSO deputy murderer sentenced to three life terms

MIAMI - A man convicted of murdering a Broward County Sheriff's Deputy was sentenced earlier today to three concurrent terms of life imprisonment, an additional thirty years' imprisonment to run consecutive to the life terms, a lifetime term of supervised release, and a $25,000 fine.

Kenneth Paul Wilk was also ordered to pay $300,000 to the court's CJA fund to defer the costs of his appointed defense counsel. The court also ordered the forfeiture of Wilk's interest in his residence, located at 1950 NE 57th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as directed by the jury in a separate forfeiture proceeding on June 13, 2007. A separate hearing is set for Nov. 2, 2007 to determine the amount of restitution that Wilk will owe to the Fatta family and Angelo Cedeno.

The sentencing announcement was made by R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, special agent in charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jonathan I. Solomon, special agent in charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Sheriff Ken Jenne, Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO).

Wilk was convicted on June 5, 2007 of murder in the first degree for the murder of BSO Sheriff's Deputy Todd M. Fatta, the attempted murder of Sergeant Angelo Cedeno, use of a firearm in the commission of crimes of violence, that is, the murder of Deputy Fatta and the attempted murder of Sergeant Cedeno, obstruction of justice in connection with the prosecution of Kelly Ray Jones in a prior federal case, possession of child pornography; and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The defendant has been in custody since Aug. 19, 2004, the date of the Fatta murder.

U.S. Attorney Acosta stated, "Although today's sentence brings some measure of comfort to the Fatta and BSO families, no amount of punishment can undo or even alleviate the pain and suffering caused by this senseless murder. The loss of human life is always tragic, but it is particularly poignant when the victim is someone who so selflessly devoted his life to helping others."

"On behalf of the thousands of men and women of the Broward Sheriff's Office, I want to thank Assistant United States Attorneys John Kastrenakes and Neil Karadbil for their unmatched determination and professionalism in this case," said Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne. "Both men worked tirelessly to ensure justice was served. It is because of the United States Attorney's Office that Kenneth Wilk will serve the rest of his life paying for the brutal and senseless murder of one of our BSO brothers."

Mr. Acosta commended the diligent investigative efforts of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Broward Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Kastrenakes and Senior Litigation Counsel Neil Karadbil.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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