Write character letters to the Judge in Support of Marie!

Below are the guidelines for writing character letters to the Judge for Marie’s sentencing. Please send them to Marie’s attorney John (Contact listed below) either to his physical address or his email address. Please do not write the judge directly. We are trying to get them all in by Dec. 15 so please the sooner you submit your letter the better.

Struggle,
Got Your Back
www.freemarie.org

Guidelines for a letter of character reference:

The letter should be addressed to

Hon. Paul Maloney
United States District Court
410 W. Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Re: United States v Marie Mason

Case No. 1:08-47

The writer should introduce themselves, who they are, what communitythey live in, what they do, and how they know Marie and how well. (Thebetter one knows her, the more weight the opinion has).

The writer should indicate they are aware of the charges to which she has pled guilty – arson – and is facing a mandatory 7 year minimum. (Protestations that she must be innocent or not very guilty are not helpful.)

The writer should discuss positive aspects of Marie’s character. In doing this, it is usually helpful to think of anecdotes which illustrate the point. (E.g., trustworthy – had her watch the house, pets, and kids while out of town.)

Then find a way to ask the judge to be lenient in sentencing. The important thing is to humanize her for the judge.

Letters should be sent to me, not directly to the court. They will be reviewed and submitted all in one package at the appropriate time. It would be good to have the letters in my hand by mid-December.

John Minock
339 E. Liberty, Suite 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
jminock@ic.net