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CARRIE WEIMARWilliam Hillman hoped tales of a traumatic childhood would ease his sentence. Then some cousins stepped forward.
TAMPA - In April, William Hillman III admitted lying when he told computer companies he needed equipment to conduct research about mad cow disease.
His scheme netted him more than $600,000, authorities said. But Hillman hoped Hillsborough Circuit Judge Debra Behnke would show mercy when she sentenced him because of his traumatic childhood, which he said included sexual abuse and foster care.
Turns out that was a lie, too, a prosecutor said Friday.
After reading about Hillman's tale of woe in the St. Petersburg Times, two of his cousins stepped forward to dispute it. They said Hillman grew up on a farm in New Jersey, swam in a country club pool and had a stable family, including a father who was a pilot for Eastern Airlines.
They had pictures of him from 1951 to 1961 to prove it.
After Assistant State Attorney Thomas Palermo informed Hillman's attorney the cousins were planning to testify at Friday's sentencing hearing, Hillman had a sudden change of heart: He didn't want to plead guilty anymore.
So on the day Judge Behnke was scheduled to announce Hillman's punishment, Hillman's attorney, Michael Connell, asked permission to withdraw the plea and prepare for trial.
Palermo was outraged.
"He has changed his mind because I can prove to the court he perpetrated a fraud on it," Palermo said. "He changed his mind not because of his rights but because his pants are on fire."
But Connell, who was hired by Hillman in June, said his client was heavily medicated when he pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, grand theft and organized fraud for more than $50,000. Behnke was not impressed. She rejected Hillman's request to revoke his plea. But she did give Connell more time to look into the cousins' story. Hillman must appear before Judge Behnke again on Sept. 29.