Former football star arrested for registration violations
Out of respect for the privacy of persons forced to register, we generally don’t post stories about people who get arrested for registration violations. However, because the individual is already a public figure by virtue of him being a former NFL star and because so many of you have brought it to our attention as if we were not aware, we will acknowledge the “elephant in the room” by mentioning that Former NY Giant Lawrence Taylor was arrested for two registration violations this month; failing to report a change in residence and failing to update his driver’s license.
According to the arrest information, LT was staying at a hotel in Pembroke Pines, Florida, after he and his wife were going through a marital separation. He failed to register the hotel as his residence and he failed to update his Driver’s License with the hotel address. He’s now facing those two charges, which are both third degree felonies. He has since updated his registration to reflect both his actual residence, which he still owns, and the hotel where he is staying. His attorney provided a statement, saying that LT never gave up his residence so he was unaware he needed to register the hotel and get a new license.
Aside from his celebrity status, there’s nothing remarkable about the incident. People get arrested for technical violations all the time. But that didn’t stop LT from making headlines across the country. It’s one thing to get negative and embarrassing press over the underlying crime, but it’s totally something else to get it over a technical violation for something that would not be a crime but for him being on the registry. When I read the headline on NJ.com which said, “Former Giants star Lawrence Taylor pleads not guilty to felony sex offender charges” I thought he was being charged with a sex crime. Clearly that wasn’t the case. Nobody was harmed, nothing sexual happened. Nobody was at risk because the guy’s driver’s license had his home address and not the hotel. The headlines were unwarranted.
The other reason for posting this is to remind our members that registration requirements always need to be top of mind. I can’t comment on LT’s case, but based on discussions with hundreds of people who have been arrested for technical violations of registration requirements, ignorance of the law is not a defense and no matter what else is happening in your life, be it hospitalization, death of a loved one or marital/family issues, registration requirements always need to be top of mind.
Thank You for the clarification FAC !
Someone in the media needs to be sued for this kind on garbage.
I hope he pursues this and hope the NFL backs him up.
Maybe someone needs to contact the NFL and give them some details as to how unjust and politicized the registry requirements are. With this as just one example. The NFL tries a lot harder to be fair with everyone than does government.
It’d be great if he was an active and supportive member of FAC.
Had he been an FAC member, he’d’ve known to register his hotel.
If he had lived in many other states other than Florida, the hotel stay (if truly a short temporary stay) wouldn’t have required registration at all, and certainly not needed a change of driver’s license.
Agree, which is why FL registrants need orgs like FAC to keep them informed about non-intuitive laws that are not the same as those in other states.
Forced to get a license for a temporary address has to be the dumbest law on the books. How many hotels would want their address on a license of a registrant and put on the Florida hit list? Have these laws ever been challenged? Obviously Florida’s law don’t effect me anymore except for being on the registry for life and death.
I commented before on another post about how I was told that if I were being hospitalized for mental health reason I needed to come down and tell them first. Ludicrous, but she said it with a straight face. I can’t say whether I feel bad for LT or not. I think it’s garbage he has to jump through hoops. Also I saw where he got it on $500 bond. Makes me wonder how many arrests for not crossing t’s or dotting i’s we’re given the same low bond. I’m all by no means saying he got treated better for any reason, just thinking out loud. Hopefully this press will make other people think it loud of the waste of money the arrest was. Maybe even some change, or at least some conversation. I’ll be following the story because I’m interested to see what punishment, or no not punishment, umm.. civil action is taken against him to see if it consistent with others.
I’m impressed that he only got a $500.00 bond. I apparently made a technical violation a few years ago, and received no bond. I know that my case was not his case. That being said, I wish him the best of luck.
Poor LT…Well, Heck, Poor All Of Us!
If you Google His Net Worth, it is less than $300K…He has been dealing with the ‘law’ for many years and probably knows all the lawyers, that have milked him financially dry!..HA HA HA
SeasonED Greetings To All!
What happens if a registrant is in a accident and the result is severe head trauma and being in a coma for longer than 2 days? I guess you better have a outta body experience and register your stay in the hospital.
How stupid arresting someone for staying at a hotel when law enforcement told him? I have empathy for people who have severe mental issues and are on the registry.
The reason I sent the story is was, maybe people can see that famous people do not just “Get out of” trouble because they are famous. Having said that, most of them can way afford to hire a good lawyer, which many of us common folks didn’t have that luxury of doing.
I can’t believe it’s a felony to not give the government information when they find it themselves and it’s supposed to a civil regulation. Sorry if it results in a misdemeanor or felony with jail/prison time a few words come to mind: it’s punitive and punishment, so call it what it is.
Taylor’s attorney commented: “We are confident that this will be resolved favorably for Lawrence at the first court hearing” In another I read “we’re confident these charges will be dropped”. If so, could this set a precedent?
I think the reason he got a bond in the first place, it is his celebrity status. I don’t think that judges would give the same latitude to any other normal Joe. To most of law enforcement folks, we are ” a very dangerous segment of the population that needs to be contained, corraled like cattle and then controlled to prevent further sex offenses crimes” and to them, LT is “Mr Taylor”. And because Mr Taylor has significant ties to the community as well as a significant personal recognizance as a celebrity, thus, the bond being given in the first place.
Yes, it would be very nice and I am sure, it would benefit all of us if Mr Taylor provides even with a nugget of support, but, do you think he is going to risk his celebrity status by providing some support to the FAC cause? He is surely not going to risk to lose his endorsements, commentary opportunities, and the many other perks that comes from being one of the greatest NFL athletes that ever touched the football. And no, I don’t believe that the NFL would ever give some sort of support to an ex-player, because in the first place, he is no longer playing and the NFL wouldn’t risk a boycott from “victims defenders” that would cause a drop in revenues, especially during a pandemic were everyone is bleeding for money.
That is a fact of life for this man.
Now, he is facing some serious charges, even if is a technical violation, it is still a 3rd degree felony and I don’t know much about his case, which means, I don’t know if he is classified as a felon or not, however, being placed in the felony checklist would be very damaging to his status as well.
Whatever is the case, I pray for his wellbeing and that his charges gets dropped. No one deserves this kind of continuing punishment, and surely not this one man who inspired and still does inspire many young folks and athletes to become a better version of themselves.
I think that our best hopes lays on continuing suing, challenging in courts, advocating and educating, and hoping that the ALI recommendations gets widely accepted and implemented.
Money doesn’t insulate you from the stigma associated with the label, nor does it render you immune from public perception. I would imagine the reason people like Tyson, Taylor and Nicki Minaj’s husband don’t speak out and advocate against these clearly punitive laws is because they don’t want to bring further shame to themselves for doing so.
Having to deal with strangers looking at them sideways knowing it’s most-likely from the label and not their achievements and contributions. They would rather avoid further negative publicity and press, so they slip back into the darkness with the rest of us.
The difference is a lot of celebs are still liked by many. Mike Tyson has been in a lot of things over the recent years even being a bad guy in one of the IP man Martial arts movies. He does interviews all the time and has been on several reality shows.
PLUS he has enough money to live behind a gated compound, which most of us do not have the luxury of doing. Also, they have the money to hire the best lawyers, whereas I could afford some homeless guy who took a week long course at the law Library. *-)~
I know what LT’s case is about, and it mirrors the same thing that I went through. He answered an ad for an escort, and the escort LT later found out was underage. He had no clue. My case is the same, I answered the ad for personal services on Yahoo.com. The ad claimed that the escort was a freshman attending USF and was a part time dancer in a gentleman’s club. A month later I was arrested because the escort was a minor. I had no clue, even the arresting officer said that she could have fooled anyone. Long story short, I accepted a plea for 5 years, but at the sentencing hearing, the judge in my case knocked it down to 9 months in county jail because of the circumstances of the case. I’m now entering my 20th year of having to register, and when I was convicted, the registration statute was 20 years. I don’t know what my chances are of finding a lawyer to get me off of the registry when my 20 years end.
Contact legal@floridaactioncommittee.org for a referral
I came home from prison in January of 2013. It took the unwavering support of family & friends (which I was SOO blessed to have) for me to have a roof over my head. It took me until August to find a permanent place to live. From January to August I had 9 different addresses I had to register and I had nine different driver’s licenses. Still have all them. I had to change/get 2 licenses within a 5 day span one time. Didn’t bitch just reminded myself that the DMV office was more comfortable than prison.