A court has abandoned a sentencing hearing set for today after the defendant, a Mission-district gang leader, went on the lam.
Nicholas Addleman had been due before U.S. District Judge James Donato at 10:00am this morning, having earlier pleaded guilty to a firearms charge – arising from his possession of two guns months after his release from a sentence he received for shooting a person in the head.
Federal prosecutors had asked the court to impose a four-and-a-half year federal prison sentence. A defense attorney, pitching for a non-custodial term, had asked the court to defer sentencing for a year. Perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, Addleman opted to defer sentencing himself by failing to appear.
He had been freed on October 11, 2023 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Cisneros and attended a residential drug treatment center. Earlier this month, according to court documents, Addleman left another ‘sober living’ facility without informing probation officials and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
“Addleman has shown he will continue to arm himself with guns and is not afraid to pull the trigger,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Leif Dautch in a memorandum to the judge ahead of the aborted hearing.
Addleman, 37, was arrested in October 2022 by SFPD officers in the Inner Sunset who knew he was on parole and that he had a warrantless search condition authorizing them to look for contraband.
They found two semi-automatic pistols – .40 caliber Glock 23 and a 9mm Glock 43 – in a hidden compartment under the central console of his Ford F150 truck. Both guns were loaded and one was equipped with an extended magazine.
Addleman admitted that the firearms were his and claimed that he was carrying them to protect himself and family members because there had been several recent shootings. His DNA was found on the grip of one of the weapons.
Federal prosecutors brought charges in November 2022.
He pleaded guilty to ‘being a felon in possession of a firearm’ on September 11 2023 before U.S. District Judge James Donato. Donato accepted the plea and referred the case to U.S. pretrial services officials for the preparation of a sentencing report. He refused a defense request for an order requiring officials to prepare a full CAP (Conviction Alternative Program) report, questioning whether the defendant was eligible in any event.
Addleman has a significant criminal record, most notably his shooting a victim in the face outside of the San Francisco Giants ballpark in 2017 after an argument.
The court was previously shown an x-ray image of a bullet lodged in the head of the victim who “miraculously” survived. Security camera footage showed Addleman dispose of the gun nearby.
Originally charged with attempted murder, Addleman was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at a vehicle and was sentenced to a notional 9 years in state prison. This conviction, though, came in July 2022 meaning the time already spent by him in county jail was taken in to account and he was likely immediately released directly from San Francisco Sheriff’s Department custody.
His convictions date back to a 2005 juvenile adjudication for arson and possession of a destructive device. Prosecutors say that during his most recent five years in custody he was a “shotcaller” of the San Francisco Mission district Norteño gang. In November 2021, they say, he was placed in administrative segregation after he was suspected of having ordered the discipline of another gang member inmate.
In 2020 San Francisco supervisors approved a $2.1 million settlement for approximately 200 inmates of County Jail 4 who had experienced sewage leaks while in custody. Addleman was one of the plaintiffs in that lawsuit.
In a sentencing memorandum filed with the court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Leif Dautch acknowledged Addleman’s difficult upbringing and drug addiction.
“While those factors may explain some of Addleman’s criminal conduct, they do not excuse it, nor do they reduce the significant danger he poses to the public now,” he wrote.
“The fact remains that Addleman has shown he will continue to arm himself with guns and is not afraid to pull the trigger. This significant threat to the public must be addressed by imprisonment, and anything less than 54 months will not meet the need.”
“Mr Addleman respectfully requests that the Court defer sentencing for one year so that he can demonstrate that he has truly turned his life around and can lead a productive, law-abiding life divorced from the influences in his past,” wrote the defendant’s attorney in a memorandum.
“Alternatively, should the Court deny Mr Addleman’s request to defer sentencing, he submits that a sentence of 24 months would be appropriate based on the factors delineated in [sentencing rules].”
It was explained that Addleman’s gun possession arose in part due to fears that people would try to kill him, a paranoia that was exacerbated by his “prolonged and consistent” methamphetamine use. He had been successfully addressing his addiction and participating in mental health counseling, it was said.
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