Steve Traitz Jr Death Fact Check
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Steve Traitz Jr - Biography
Joseph Traitz, 43, formerly of Kleman Road, New Hanover, and Stephen Traitz III, 44, formerly of Woodland Avenue, Lower Providence, each were sentenced to 130 months in a federal penitentiary, to be followed by eight years' probation, after they admitted to operating a methamphetamine lab prosecutors alleged was based in a barn at Joseph Traitz's home.U.S. District Court Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter also ordered the former Olympic boxing hopefuls to enter a drug treatment program while in prison.With credit for the 58 months they have already served in prison since their 1999 indictments, and future good time credit, it's possible the brothers could be released from prison after serving another four years.The brothers, who rose to local boxing prominence during the 1980s while boxing at the former Montgomery County Boys Club in Lower Providence, had faced between 121 and 168 months in prison under a plea agreement reached last week just before their retrial on racketeering and drug charges was to begin. AdvertisementTheir previous convictions had been overturned because of a legal snag.Under the agreement, the brothers admitted to participating in an interstate enterprise, through a pattern of racketeering, that engaged in the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine, commonly known as "meth" and "speed," between 1982 and 1997.However, when the judge asked the brothers Thursday why they got involved in drugs, they did not offer an explanation."I have no answer, your honor," Stephen Traitz III said, a sign the brothers' guilty pleas were still hard to swallow for the men who had staunchly maintained their innocence since their 1999 arrests.Peter Grippi, 36, a friend of the brothers who also pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge stemming from his involvement in the drug organization between 1982 and September 1994, received a time served sentence. Grippi, formerly of Collegeville, faced between 57 and 71 months in prison under his plea agreement.With credit for the 58 months Grippi already served, the judge said Grippi could be released from prison as early as 5 p.m. Thursday."Thank God, I get my son back," Grippi's mother sobbed as members of the Traitz family joined the Grippi family in thunderously applauding the judge's decision. About three-dozen relatives and friends of the Traitz brothers were in court to show their support for the men. For Stephen Traitz Jr., who had dreams of greatness for his prizefighting sons when he managed the former Montgomery County Boys Club, the sentences offered hope that he would one day see his sons free. The elder Traitz declined to comment after the hearing but defense lawyers spoke on the family's behalf. "I want Stephen Traitz Jr. to have a chance to spend time with his kids," defense lawyer Arthur R. Shuman, who represented Joseph Traitz, told the judge, adding Joseph has a 5-year-old daughter he has never seen. "I want these people to have the chance to be a family again."In seeking the "least possible sentence," Shuman argued the Traitz brothers have extensive support from family and friends who packed the courtroom."A substantial number of them come from the boxing world, including boxers, promoters and some pretty significant people in that respect," Shuman told the judge."It's amazing the extent this family has been in support of these guys. Bad people don't get this kind of support."Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin R. Hayes, who sought a sentence in the high end of the 121 to 168 months available under the Traitzes' plea agreement, responded that the Traitz brothers are responsible for the suffering their families experienced.Hayes implied the brothers did not learn a lesson even after they previously served prison time in connection with a union corruption scandal in the 1980s."They came right back out after missing all those years with their wives and kids and kept doing it," Hayes argued.The federal indictment alleged the Traitzes first manufactured meth in the mid-1980s. Authorities alleged the operation was suspended between 1987 and 1992 when the Traitz brothers were imprisoned in a Roofers Union Local 30-30B corruption scandal. The Traitz brothers were business agents for the union, which their father headed.The drug operation resumed when the Traitzes were released from jail in the early 1990s, the indictment alleged."This case is not a government vendetta. This is a properly brought prosecution," Hayes argued, claiming the Traitzes also failed to acknowledge the harm they caused to the community with the methamphetamine organization."It is the most destructive, the most addictive," said Hayes, referring to the drug.The Traitz brothers and Grippi each had faced 360 months to life in prison if convicted of the charges at trial. Defense lawyers said the plea agreement was too good to turn down."How much of a crap shoot do you take with the rest of your life? It's a lot better than life," said defense lawyer Alan Silber, who represented Stephen Traitz III, a former Golden Gloves champion whose professional boxing career included 22 fights and 19 knockouts.After a six-week trial in 2001, the Traitz brothers - and Grippi - were each convicted by a jury of racketeering and drug charges. However, the jury acquitted them of the 1987 murder of Robert Hammond Sr., a Norristown man whom prosecutors had alleged supplied some of the chemicals for the drug manufacturing business.Prosecutors unsuccessfully alleged Hammond was killed because the Traitzes wanted to avoid paying a $35,000 drug debt to Hammond and because they mistakenly believed Hammond was cooperating with investigators who were closing in on the Traitzes' drug operation in upper Montgomery County.However, last December, Judge Buckwalter granted the men a new trial after determining an error occurred during the trial. Having been acquitted of the alleged murder, the Traitzes and Grippi faced a retrial only on the drug and racketeering charges before last week's plea agreement was hatched.
