Atlanta judge banishes woman from state - except for one county

ATLANTA - A judge sentenced a 21-year-old woman to eight years in prison for her involvement in the April 2002 hate crime beating of two black brothers.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington on Monday sentenced Angela Pisciotta to six years for aggravated assault and two years for committing a hate crime. The sentences will be served consecutively, Arrington said. She also was banished from the state except for Lumpkin County, fined $10,000 and ordered to undergo anger management therapy.

Pisciotta, Christopher Botts and Ulysses Andrade had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for attacking Idris and Che Golden in the Little Five Points shopping and entertainment district. The beating left Idris Golden hospitalized for six days and Che Golden semiconscious.

Pisciotta told the judge she had never acted in that manner before. "I don't know what was wrong with me," she said. "That's no excuse for my actions. It's no excuse for what I said. I am truly sorry."

According to Atlanta police, the defendants attacked the brothers, punching and kicking them, when the Goldens rejected their aggressive sidewalk panhandling.

The Goldens and witnesses described Pisciotta as screaming racial epithets with each blow against the brothers.

The brothers declined to comment and left the courtroom after Pisciotta's sentencing.

Botts, 26, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Thursday. He was also given two years of probation and fined $10,000. Andrade, 28, was sentenced to four years in prison although he was acquitted of hate crime charges. Arrington said there was little evidence Andrade was motivated by bigotry when he joined the attack.

Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, who sponsored the state's hate crime law, said the sentences were "outrageous" and said the Golden brothers had been victimized again. Prosecutors had recommended Botts and Pisciotta receive 20-year sentences for the crime.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard has asked the U.S. Attorney's office to seek additional civil rights charges on Botts and Andrade. Federal prosecutors are considering the request.