WWII Hero Turned Drug Mule Seeks Early Prison Release

Leo Earl Sharp is expected to be released after serving a year of a three-year sentence imposed after he was convicted transporting 1,200 kilograms to Detroit. (Courtesy photo)

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Leo Earl Sharp, a 91-year-old war hero turned drug mule convicted in 2014 of transporting cocaine for a Mexican cartel, could be released from prison early under a request his attorney filed in federal court Monday.

Darryl Goldberg, who said his client whispered “death sentence” 13 months ago when U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds sentenced him to three years in prison, cited privacy restrictions when The Detroit News asked if Sharp’s health was an issue.

Federal law requires that requests for early release include “extraordinary and compelling reasons.” Previously, Goldberg has said that Sharp suffers from dementia and other health problems.

Related Links:

• War Hero Turned Drug Mule, in Court on 90th Birthday, Calls 3-Year Sentence ‘Death’
• Cocaine Mule and World War II Hero To Be Sentenced on 90th Birthday

“I have been of the position Mr. Sharp should not have been incarcerated in the first place,” Goldberg told The Detroit News. “I commend the Bureau of Prisons and the government for its compassion and recognition that based on the circumstances, Mr. Sharp should be immediately released from prison.”

Sharp, who hails from Michigan City, IN, was convicted of collecting $1.25 million for hauling 1,200 kilograms of cocaine into Detroit.

A great-grandfather, decorated World War II veteran and award-winning horticulturalist known for his day lilies, Sharp was reportedly one of the cartel’s most prolific drug couriers. He is thought to be the oldest criminal defendant ever sentenced in federal court.

A Hollywood movie studio acquired the rights to New York Times Magazine story about Sharp’s involvement in the cartel, “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule.” The movie will be directed by “Gangster Squad” director Ruben Fleischer, Hollywood Deadline reported last fall.