by Patrick H. Moore
I came to the Andrea Sneiderman case very late in the game. Because it is in many ways a simple case — and given my years in the legal trenches — I was able to zero in on the basic issue of Andrea’s relative guilt or lack thereof without too much difficulty. I was pretty sure she was going to get convicted on most of the counts and I was also pretty sure the judge, who I had heard was a tough sentencer, was going to hammer her with five years. I nailed the result and I am not happy about it. I strongly feel that five years is too long a sentence for this woman.
Very simply, what she did was not all that terrible. She went out into the workplace after being a stay-at-home mother who had worked part-time from home for quite a few years. Her working and bringing in some income was apparently a necessity for the family.
Andrea had the bad luck of meeting a disturbed boss. They’re around. You have to look out for them. Hemy may have had the best of intentions but he had issues. Andrea no doubt also has issues. So they meet and it almost seems fated but not in a positive way. In some relationships, the two parties seem to improve and inspire each other. In other relationships, the two people systematically destroy each other without even intending to.
Andrea no doubt felt extremely humiliated by having things turn out the way they did. Rusty Sneiderman certainly wasn’t supposed to die; I have no doubt about that. Unless, of course, it really was all about the insurance policy and Andrea planted a seed in Hemy’s mind about how she would love him always if he arranged things so that she would get the money? The thought is tempting but it’s just speculation. Andrea has issues but that doesn’t mean she plotted to kill her husband. If there was any solid evidence, the state — bloodthirsty as they are — would never have dropped the murder charges.
But the fact remains that a lot of people are not fond of Andrea. I haven’t seen enough of her to know what exactly it is about her that rubs people the wrong way. But that shouldn’t matter. Andrea should not be sentenced based on her personality. She should be judged based on the seriousness of her criminal conduct.
Andrea Sneiderman’s Criminal Conduct Was Not That Serious
So I want you to put aside the fact you don’t like Andrea — find her bothersome, obnoxious, hypocritical, whatever it is about her that just pisses you off. Instead think rationally about the seriousness, or lack thereof, of her “crimes.” At worst she told a bunch of lies but what did it really matter? The State still got its conviction — Hemy Neuman is not going free anytime soon.
Another way to look at it is all the conduct that led to the counts of conviction — the perjuries, the false statements, whatever the heck she did — fall under the general notion of Obstruction of Justice. Andrea engaged in a pattern of behavior in which she — in the eyes of the prosecutors — obfuscated the truth.
In everyday life when you’re not fighting a legal case in a court of law, no one can put you in prison because you lie about an extra-marital affair. People can hate you, disparage you, treat you like a pariah — you can even be ostracized from the community — but you cannot be put in prison.
It would be different if Andrea had been scheming with Hemy Neuman to shoot Rusty Sneiderman. But there’s no proof of that. So in the long run, her perjuring herself and making false statements didn’t do a whole lot of harm.
I fully realize that the State Prosecutor’s office feels it must uphold its dignity; it must send a message that lying to law enforcement will simply not be tolerated. Well, fine, give Andrea some time but make it a year in county to go along with the year of home confinement. A year in county would be enough. A year in County Jail would be a great shock to Andrea’s system. It would drive home the valid proposition that law enforcement must be respected and woe to anyone who doesn’t get the message.
So, if one puts aside their almost visceral dislike of this woman and tries to cut through “the great obfuscation” in order to craft a fair sentence, one comes to the overwhelming conclusion that a year in county would do the trick. Andrea lost at trial and she needs to do some time but a year would be sufficient.
Click here to view our previous posts concerning the Andrea Sneiderman trial:
Andrea Sneiderman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison Less Time Served
Andrea Sneiderman Trial: Sex, Death and Romantic Love
Andrea Sneiderman Is Taking a Huge Risk by Going to Trial
Andrea Sneiderman Reportredly “Gave In” to Hemy Neuman in London