London Breed

Brother of San Francisco mayor gets sentence reduced for role in girlfriend's 2000 death

San Francisco Mayor London Breed
Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images

The brother of San Francisco's mayor was resentenced to a shorter prison term Monday for his role in the 2000 death of his girlfriend as she drove a getaway car over the Golden Gate Bridge following a robbery.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Brendan Conroy reduced Napoleon Brown’s sentence from 44 years to just over 31 for involuntary manslaughter, armed robbery and carjacking, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

In 2018, Mayor London Breed sent outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown a letter urging him to show leniency and commute her older brother's prison sentence. She referenced her position as mayor in the letter, and the stationery read “Mayor London Breed” at the top. He did not respond.

Marc Zilversmit, Napoleon Brown's attorney, said they are pleased the judge agreed to a reduction but they had asked for an even shorter sentence. Brown has served nearly 22 years in prison, according to Zilversmit.

“There are mixed emotions,” he said.

The mayor’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brown and another man robbed a San Francisco diner in June 2000 and sped off over the Golden Gate Bridge. His girlfriend, Lenties White, drove and was either pushed or fell from the vehicle and was killed by a drunken driver.

Brown denies prosecutors’ assertions that he pushed White.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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