Press Release
DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO THREE LIFE TERMS PLUS 30 YEARS IN JAIL FOR MURDER OF BSO DEPUTY
August 22, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Sheriff Ken Jenne, Broward Sheriff's Office, announced that United States District Court Judge James Cohn sentenced defendant Kenneth Paul Wilk earlier today to three concurrent terms of life imprisonment, an additional thirty (30) years' imprisonment to run consecutive to the life terms, a lifetime term of supervised release, and a $25,000 fine. In addition, the Court ordered the defendant 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 was set for November 2, 2007 to determine the amount of restitution that Wilk will owe to the Fatta family and Angelo Cedeno.
Defendant Kenneth Paul Wilk was convicted on June 5, 2007 of murder in the first degree for the murder of BSO 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 August 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, the Broward Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Kastrenakes and Senior Litigation Counsel Neil Karadbil.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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