Last year, Christopher Coke, a drug lord who shuttled goods from Jamaica to the U.S., was extradited by officials to be prosecuted stateside. As The New York Times describes him, he seems pretty heinous: prosecutors said that he chain-sawed one guy who stole drugs from him. And he's said to have committed many more drug lord-style crimes. But, as the newspaper reports, Coke has written a letter with child-like handwriting asking his judge presiding for leniency. Over seven pages, the drug lord asks his judge to "take these facts into consideration" in deciding a sentence..

What the Times shows, Gawker's Hamilton Nolan says: Coke cites "his generally shitty and inhumane treatment in prison (fair enough), and then several pages of his charity work in Jamaica, such as founding a youth club which would 'groom the elderly,'" as reasons why he should get lenient treatment. We'd add "hosting an Easter treat for Elderly persons in my community" to the list. Below is a screenshot of page 3 of the 7 page document, which can be perused in full on The New York Times here.  

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Erik Hayden