Court briefs for November 9, 2000

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2000 | 11:13 a.m.

Judge delivers stiffer penalty

A Clark County District Court judge Wednesday sentenced a man convicted in a fatal drunken driving accident to three years more than what had been recommended by prosecutors.

Prosecutors and probation officers had recommended Mitchell Allen Blasche receive 3 1/2 to 16 years in prison in the September 1999 accident that killed Jarrod Straub, 20.

District Judge John McGroarty, however, gave Blasche 6 1/2 to 18 years in prison. He will rule Monday how much Blasche, 42, will have to pay in fines and restitution.

Police said Straub was riding a motorcycle west on West Sahara Avenue when Blasche, who was driving in the opposite direction, collided with him while turning onto Spanish Oaks Center.

Blasche's attorney, James "Bucky" Buchanan, argued at trial that Straub was going 80 mph at the time of the accident and should bear some of the blame.

Jurors, however, convicted Blasche after police testified Straub was going between 45 and 55 mph and Blasche had a blood alcohol level of 0.35.

January trial set for Cuccia

A January trial date has been set for a 59-year-old former New Yorker who claims he shot and killed a fellow New Yorker because he feared a mob hit.

District Judge Donald Mosley set Anthony Cuccia's Jan. 2 trial date after Cuccia pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the Feb. 7 shooting death of Philip Greenspan.

Greenspan, 59, was shot at point-blank range inside the Stardust's sports book.

During Cuccia's preliminary hearing, witnesses testified Cuccia fired a shot into Greenspan's left chest and then shot him again in the back as he tried to flee. Greenspan collapsed and died outside the casino.

Cuccia, who has been deemed competent to stand trial, believes Greenspan had been sent to kill him because he is a former mob hitman.

Prosecutors say they have no reason to believe that is true.