MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT--An off-duty cop convicted of driving while intoxicated and vehicular assault for crashing his Chrysler 300 sedan into Tiffany's flagship Fifth Avenue store was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation yesterday.
Raphael Ospina, 28, drunkenly sped through the streets at 71 mph, hit a tree and a garbage truck, then smashed his car into the doorway of Tiffany's after a night of drinking on February 13, 2010, prosecutors said. He and his two passengers, pals from Queens, had to be cut out of the wrecked car.
Assistant District Attorney Carolina Holderness said Ospina's "conduct came heart stoppingly close to costing the lives of his two friends," who both required surgeries for their injuries, and also put himself and the public in danger. She asked Judge Laura Ward for a two to six year sentence, the maximum punishment for his "recklessness."
But one of those friends, Jessie Runyal, told the judge during the sentencing that he didn't hold Ospina "personally responsible," and asked the judge to be lenient.
Ospina, who lost his job after a jury convicted him in March, choked back tears as he told the judge that he was sorry for his actions, he wanted to start a new, better life and take care of his fiancée and 1-month-old son, who were both in courtroom.
"I'm not the same person as I was before the accident," he said. "I don't care about the nightlife. I just want to be with my son."
Ospina's lawyer, who asked for no jail time and just probation, said they will appeal the sentence.
