CINCINNATI A former Olympic silver medal-winning boxer from Cincinnati was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for his part in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Twenty-three-year-old Ricardo Williams became a professional boxer after winning his medal in the 2000 Olympics. Prosecutors said he and two other men tried to pick up a package of drugs shipped to Cincinnati.

U-S District Judge Arthur Spiegel could have sentenced Williams to ten years or more in prison.

Defense attorney Ken Lawson asked the judge for a more lenient sentence so that Williams could continue his career and try to redeem himself in the community.

The welterweight boxer apologized in the courtroom to his family, the judge and the community. He said he plans to continue his boxing career when he is released from prison.

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