TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Conviction Upheld For Man In Drug-Torture Conspiracy

ADVERTISEMENT

By ELAINE SILVESTRINI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 31, 2008

Updated: 10/31/2008 04:33 pm

  Scott Schweickert

  Steven Lorenzo

A federal appeals court today upheld the conviction of Scott Schweickert for conspiring with Steven Lorenzo to drug and torture two men who died in Lorenzo's Seminole Heights home.

The court also upheld Schweickert's conviction for drugging one of the men, Michael Wachholtz, with the intent to commit a crime of violence.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a terse, three-page ruling, saying the arguments raised by Schweickert's lawyer, Pedro Amador, are "wholly without merit. … In addition, we conclude that there was ample and sufficient evidence of Scweickert's conspiracy with Lorenzo and his participation in the drug distribution of GHB to support the jury's verdict of conviction."

"Obviously, I'm disappointed with the ruling," Amador said. "In the next few weeks, we're going to look at what our options are and then pursue them … I still hold to my belief that the government failed to prove their case."

Scweickert is serving a 40-year federal prison sentence. Lorenzo, whose conviction was upheld in September, is serving 200 years in federal prison for the same charges as Schweickert, plus an additional eight counts of distributing GHB, a date-rape drug, with intent to commit a crime of violence.

The additional counts refer to additional victims, including Jason Galehouse, who disappeared the same weekend in December 2003 as Wachholtz. A jury acquitted Schweickert of a charge involving Galehouse.

Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober has said his office is investigating pursuing murder charges against Lorenzo and Schweickert.

Evidence presented during the federal drug trials portrayed Lorenzo and Schweickert as kindred spirits in an underground sadomasochistic sexual subculture who preyed on innocent men, drugging them and making some of them disappear forever.

Reporter Elaine Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT