Bristol described himself as a child of divorce whose mother earned meager pay as a school crossing guard. He won a scholarship to a community college, transferred to Amherst and went on to earn his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
He said Starr offered him "a lot of razzmatazz—a lot of celebrities."
Bristol said he is now contrite, has accepted that he has a major depressive disorder, that he has "worked hard with my psychotherapist to get my head on straight" and will be on medication for the rest of his life. He also said his marriage has "since fallen apart" and he has lost his house as a result.
"I am now living alone with my dog in a small one-bedroom apartment," he said.
Kellman, a solo practitioner, said her client had shown "excruciatingly bad judgment" and had suffered the "tremendous humiliation" of having to surrender his law license.
"He had nothing, built everything and lost everything," she said. "I can't see my client in prison, although I know he's a survivor."
Bosworth said five years in prison was appropriate despite the fact "there is much that is sympathetic about Mr. Bristol's upbringing."
Bristol, he said, made Starr's extensive fraud possible and "he did it as an attorney, as an officer of the court" to try and "gain a glamorous life" and a "glamorous list of clients."
A longer sentence was needed, he said, to deter others and to deter other attorneys.
After the hearing, Bristol wept and said "Thank God" as he accepted hugs of family members and friends outside of Judge Batts' courtroom.
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What rot! This was just another variation on the "twinkie" defense - and the judge bought it. Would she have been so "merciful" if the defendnant wasn't a former silk-stocking firm partner? I doubt it. Just another sorry example of the double standard of American justice.
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As sad as this story is, it may not be over for him. He could still face some liability if the people whose money he stole want to pursue litigation. They can sue him for everything he has even if it isn't much and they would have a good chance of winning.
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