Celebrity Chef Lawrence Forgione was found
guilty earlier today by a jury of his peers for misdemeanor vehicular
manslaughter. He was not in the courtroom when the verdict was announced — he
had flown back to New York, his place of residence, earlier today. Forgione
struck and killed 90-year-old Gilbert Ramirez on February 24, 2018, when he
drove through a red light at the mid-block crosswalk on State Street between
Cota and Haley Street. Forgione and his defense counsel argued that the light
was green.
Forgione opted for a
jury trial when he turned down a plea bargain that would have included 30 days
in jail. Forgione is now possibly facing a 12-month maximum jail sentence.
Armando Gilbert Ramirez, the son of Gilbert Ramirez, said the family is not
looking for maximum sentencing. “I requested 30 days, thinking he’d serve 10 or
15,” said Ramirez. “I just wanted him to put on the blue suit, sit behind bars,
and for it to have a small impact, for him to sit through that.”
The family is no longer
interested in the sentencing. With the announcement of a guilty verdict, the
family can begin to move on, said Ramirez, who described the trial as a long
journey. “This is closure today,” he said. Rebecca Bustos, the daughter of
Gilbert Ramirez, flew in with her husband from her home in Arizona to attend
the two-week trial. “My father would’ve never crossed on a red,” said Bustos.
