Vernon lawyer going to jail for helping Greeks gang

B.C. lawyer who passed on police information to gang members gets year in jail

Apr 04, 2013 – 11:51 AM

A British Columbia lawyer who admitted to helping a criminal gang has been sentenced to a year in jail.

William Mastop pleaded guilty last December to participating in a criminal organization.

Mastop's lawyer asked for a sentence of between 10 and 18 months, while the prosecution was looking for a sentence of up to three years in prison.

Prosecutors told the judge during a sentencing hearing that the Vernon lawyer provided the so-called Greeks gang with a court document that led to the murders of two people.

But in sentencing, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Mark McEwan says there wasn't enough evidence to prove the information led to the deaths and Mastop will likely lose his profession as a lawyer.

Last November, five members or associates of the gang were convicted in B.C. Supreme Court in connection to three murders.