NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - A federal appeals court has overturned a restitution order imposed against a Connecticut man who admitted his involvement in violent gang activity including four murders.
A three judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York overturned the order against Jeffrey Benton on Friday and sent the restitution issue back to a federal judge in New Haven.
Federal prosecutors say Benton was the leader of the New Haven-based Red Side Guerrilla Brims, a Bloods gang affiliate that trafficked cocaine and firearms from Connecticut to Maine. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2017.
The appeals court judges ruled that Judge Janet Hall was wrong to order Benton and other defendants to immediately pay restitution of nearly $14,500 for funeral expenses for several victims, saying Benton has no assets.
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