NEW YORK – A Connecticut college student convicted of smuggling cocaine from Jamaica has been sentenced in New York to probation.
A judge ruled Tuesday that Chevelle Nesbeth faced enough punishment from the collateral consequences of her conviction without having to go to prison.
Nesbeth was arrested last year at John F. Kennedy International Airport after 1.3 pounds of cocaine were found in her luggage. Nesbeth was a 20-year-old college student from New Haven at the time.
Senior U.S District Judge Frederick Block says judges should consider collateral consequences of a conviction when determining a sentence. He says Nesbeth faced restrictions on access to public housing, student loans and the right to vote in some states.
Nesbeth also received six months of home confinement and 100 hours of community service. Her public defender hasn't commented.
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