Russ Smith

USC football recruit found guilty in street robbery

Dominguez High star Maurice Simmons awaits Aug. 28 sentencing; USC officials will now review his admission to school.
By David Wharton, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 7, 2008
A Compton jury on Wednesday found USC linebacker recruit Maurice Simmons guilty of two felonies and a misdemeanor in connection with a street robbery in March.

Simmons' codefendant, Lamont Lee Hall, was also found guilty.




Simmons, a Compton Dominguez High graduate, had been charged with felony robbery, assault with a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of allowing someone to bring a gun into his car. He will be sentenced Aug. 28.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested Simmons and Hall after they robbed a man at gunpoint on a Compton street. Though Simmons was not alleged to have handled the gun, authorities said they found the firearm and the victim's belongings in his car.

USC Coach Pete Carroll called it "the most unfortunate news we could get for Maurice and for his family. We feel sorry for everything they have to go through."


Simmons is not expected to be admitted to the university. david.wharton@latimes.com

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Russ Smith

What they don't mention in the story is the reason he's not expected to be admitted to SC, it's not just this robbery its' the fact that the NCAA clearinghouse hasn't cleared him yet because of questions about the validity of his SAT score.

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scXfreakX

Stupid. Why are people so stupid to do these kinds of things?

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Russ Smith

You have to assume it's environment he grew up in Compton but IIRC he has a couple of older brothers who played college football too so you'd think he would realize the implications of his actions understanding what he gave up.

You just hate to see a kid do something like this though he's gone from a promising college and possibly lucrative pro career to facing 3-5 years in jail.

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MigratingOsprey

it's all boyz in the hood and such............

What exactly have they had to go through? Getting caught robbing someone at gunpoint? Not being smart enough to realize that the illegal money you'll get at USC is a lot more favorable than the illegal money to be found on the street?

Pete - if you want to feel sorry for someone feel sorry for the guy who got robbed and the others who have to deal with this violent, thuggish behaviour

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krepitch

Exactly! I had my wtf face on when I read what he said.

Russ Smith

FWIW I took this off a USC board guy who claims to have been at the trial and claims Simmons was completely innocent only guilty of giving the wrong guy a ride home.


"It is a sad day. I had a bad feeling when I saw the jury makeup. Somehow there was not one single African American on the Jury and the Jury never heard that Maurice was going to college, had a scholarship and wasn't this thug that the DA presented him to be. Maurice wasn't allowed any character witness which were on deck including a local police officer and his pastor which were ready to take the stand for him. The judge fell asleep twice as he leaned back in his chair during the day I was there. The witness was in prison garb as he was in jail himself for something unrelated. That being said Maurice made a huge mistake giving the guy a ride home. I would have felt better if Maurice was given a fair trial including moving the trial to another location so the courtroom isn't full of Lamont's thugs trying to intimidate him and the family.

Justice wan't served."

I guess the defense was all based on the notion that Simmons didn't hold the gun himself and disputed the claims of the victim that both he and the other guy robbed him, Simmons claims he merely gave the guy a ride home.

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