Michelle Herrick

Two former SDSU athletes were sentenced Nov. 2 in Brookings County for separate crimes.

Anthony Robinson, a former football player, was sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary for marijuana distribution.

Robinson and his lawyer requested that he be allowed to serve his time in the Brookings County Jail with release time for classes.

Robinson originally faced three felony charges with the maximum penalty of 35 years in prison and a $20,000 fine for charges that included distribution of more than one pound of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute more than one pound of marijuana and possession of more than one ounce of marijuana.

Judge Rodney Steele said during the sentencing hearing that if Robinson exhibited good behavior Steele would consider letting him out on probation in a year.

Robinson, who is originally from Fontana, Calif., was a junior electrical engineering major.

Marquise Richardson, a former basketball player, was sentenced to three and a half years for the first-degree robbery of Jaime Giedd, a senior theatre major.

Richardson, who was a health, physical education and recreation major at SDSU, faced a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Richardson entered Giedd’s apartment May 17, put a pellet gun to her head and demanded jewelry and money, according to court documents.

Steele said he had taken into consideration letters of support from Richardson’s friends and SDSU basketball coach Scott Nagy when deciding on Richardson’s punishment.

“Usually when someone is in front of me with an armed burglary charge, they have a rap sheet a mile long,” Steele said. “But the victim is here and she wants to see you strung up.”

Richardson has been working with disadvantaged kids at the Robertson Charter School in Decatur, Ill., which is where he is originally from.