The Sentence (2018) | Official Trailer | HBO
A searing look at the consequences of mandatory minimum sentencing, The Sentence is the first film from Rudy Valdez, who tells the story of his sister Cindy Shank. A mother of three, Shank received a 15-year mandatory sentence for conspiracy charges related to her deceased ex-boyfriend’s crimes. Stream The Sentence now on HBO.
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HBO always kills it with their documentaries! Can't wait for this one!
My friend Rick Wershe was given a mandatory life sentence in 1988 for a single nonviolent drug offense he was arrested for at 17. The "war on drugs" is a failure and another route needs to be taken. If you are interested in facts and accurate information regarding Rick Wershe's story please visit our page. Thanks in advance! Free Rick! facebook .com/FreeRickWersheJr/
This is an excellent documentary!
Wow. This is going to be SAD. And it is true. She was sentenced to be separated from her kids. Horrible
Only in America?
I just watched this and this doesn't happen to me but tears ran down my face. The filmmaker did an excellent job telling this story and really was able to bring the effects and feelings of the families involved.
I think the mandatory minimum charge is ridiculous but, there is too many things hidden in this documentary. Cynthia Shank was not as innocent as this film makes her out to be. Read the actual court documents and you learn Cynthia lied about where her boyfriend was killed which really gives speculation that she might know more about what happen during the murder but, that could just have been to hide her and her bf’s drug den. Also while being at the hospital she had someone bring her $130,000 in drug money to her. Also she gave false identification in Miami this documentary is horrible she was involved in what her boyfriend was doing so much that she helped lie to police and so many other felonies she committed I mean she was not at all as innocent as this doc makes her out to be. If it wasn’t for the ridiculous mandatory minimum judges have to sentence on she should have still been given at least 8 years for what she was apart of and the loss of life it caused
Cindy, I hope you see this. I rarely post on social media. I don't post to strangers at all. I've been sick the last few days and in bed. Your documentary came on and I was doing other stuff and kinda watching for the first few minutes and then I couldn't stop watching and I was in tears. I sympathized with you and your precious girls. I needed to tell you that I hope you don't never ever feel like you weren't present while your girls grew up. You showed them one of the most valuable lessons a mother ever could. You never gave up and you fought back until it was made right. That is the most valuable lesson a young woman can ever learn and you did it! You showed these 3 gorgeous young women to be strong women. I am absolutely disgusted with how you were forced to do it but I'm inspired and I'm looking into how I may volunteer my time to free those with unjust prison time. I've never been to prison myself but as a mom and step mom to a 24, 20 and 15 year old children I'm inspired by your strength and the strength of your daughters. May God visit you and your family every day for the rest of your days and bring you nothing but happiness and joy. God bless all of you.
Boo hoo, she put herself in that position and put herself before her own children. She deserves to stay in jail and rot.
Don’t date or live with criminals! Don’t place the blame on anybody else but her!
The family is a beautiful family but she was a tough chick who got involved in drug racketeering and her charges were conveniently not covered in the movie, so the viewer thinks she was innocent of knowing what her drug dealing husband was doing and got unfairly imprisoned and this apparently was not the case. I think the husband was shocked to find out the truth about her past and who he really married. When they came for her she knew why and if she was really innocent she would`'t have expected them to be knocking at her door to take her away that morning. That being said, she was a changed woman and deserved a less severe sentence. Murderers have gotten less time than she got.
I've got no compassion for Adam the husband on "the sentence "on HBO, he's a real piece for bailing out on his wife,who's doing a 15 year federal sentence for something that her ex committed, he's a piece of shit
The daughters were the ones who got punished
So fucking GOOD! Families belong TOGETHER! My family turned their backs on me after my mother died and it HURTS SO BAD! She had family to come home to. She had love. Love conquers all. Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.
I'm sorry annalise :((
Great documentary! I wanted to cry from the very beginning then just couldn’t hold it in anymore.
The justice system is failing everyone. The government has been destroying our world for way too long. It’s time to take them down. Who are they to even make laws about plants that naturally grow on our earth ? Think about it people what is “your” government doing for you ? Nothing. That’s right because not one of us matter to them!!! And who are you to judge what another human being does?
The only way we can save mankind is to get rid of the most powerful people controlling humanity and killing us slowly. Mark my word. Your government doesn’t care if your dead or alive. Time to rally for change people.
Amazing documentary! So heartbreaking!
I get a laugh out of people like her,The sentence might be tough but she knew excatly what was going on and probaly helped him sell it!Acting like she didnt spend the money neither
I cried so much watching this!! Good thing I was home alone with my baby and nobody saw lol
Good to shine light
The evil of the US government knows no bounds…Truely sickening what our own country do to decent people that have put themselves in terrible circumstances. Hope more people out there see movies like this and start questioning the governments intentions. Basic common sense fundamental changes need to be made to make this country great again. I hope to see it some time in my life, but I'm not holding my breath.
Cindy Shank isn't a victim, her children & husband are! She knew she was going to prison yet conned a man into marrying her & had one child after the other to protect herself! I have lots of tears for the victims but not for Shank! She was involved in drug dealing & dragged a man & 3 kids into her mess so she'd have emotional support once locked up! Lives were destroyed & deaths likely resulted from her big deadly mistake! Shame on her family for making this appear like a little mistake!
22 YEARS OF MY LIFE STOLEN, DESTROYED & TERRORIZED BY AMERICA'S DEEP STATE DRUG MAFIA! HERE'S SOME OF THE EVIL OCCURRING IN AMERICA & WHY! WANT TO HEAR MORE, I HAVE 22 YEARS OF EVIDENCE & LOTS OF RESEARCH. I'M WAITING FOR FED'S TO OPEN THE 70K+ SEALED INDICTMENTS…
Boomers ran from politics for decades & left this dirty work for someone else, allowing Predators to have a hey day! Just like the police, FBI, CIA, DEA, etc. being trusted & going unchecked for decades. There's no sleeping & assuming someone else will take care of things if you want to maintain your freedom! But they slept & now we must fight the massive evil corruption that's grew as a result!
I've waited almost 6 years for justice after being abused for 22 years by these Liberal Deep State Mafia Thugs! The sneaky white-collar political game has grown out-of-control after operating for decades. Hopefully, Barr is part of THE PLAN after GWB surrendered when he visited the Trumps during the holidays. If Trump's confirmed nominees don't work to destroy this international Mafia operation, all is us will all be controlled by MS-13 murderous gangs! That's where we're at!
I know massive, nationwide investigations have been going on since at least 2013 to take down the DEEP STATE. I live in SWFL & things have been bizarre since I moved here 22 years ago. Finally after 17 years, all the freaky weird stuff came to light after another bizarre incident occurred & I was suddenly awakened. I soon learned that Punta Gorda & Charlotte County is loaded with criminal spies & that these atheist, white supremacist, chauvinist, liberal, party-boy lawyers, cops, businessmen, doctors, nurses, musicians, rednecks, mechanics, CPA's, principals, teachers, professors, retired law enforcement, etc., with all the high-paying jobs, not only stole but terrorized my life for 17 years. I first turned to law enforcement for 6 months then learned many of them are corrupt so I went to the FED's. As soon as I started screaming & shouting, attending town meetings & backing the City Mgr. into the corner, I was swarmed by a variety of spies which included all the creepy locals, bizarre strangers & unusually bright strangers. I couldn't go anywhere without a flock of spies chasing me down & crisscrossing my path. I carried my cell everywhere, took photos of the stalkers & their vehicle tags. Soon it became clear that there's a full-blown Mafia here that's been under investigation for some time. Now 6 years later, I'm still swarmed & taking photos of stalking abusive, money-laundering & drug-running Mafia thugs as well as nosy corrupt lawyers' entourage of spies & FED's lurking around! No hurry at all while these worthless losers, suck up fat paychecks & continuously vacation for 3-6 weeks, all pissing my life away as I approach age 60! 6 YEARS FIGHTING FOR MY FREEDOM AS A VICTIM OF DRUG THUGS WHILE SHANK SPENT 9 YEARS IN PRISON FOR HER CRIME THAT DESTROYED LIVES, JUST LIKE MINE!
COINCIDENTALLY, Punta Gorda Isles "PGI," a deed-restricted waterfront community where wealthy retirees from all over the world reside, was developed by 2 retired liberal party-boy CIA agents (now dead). Retired cops & FED's from all over retire here & want to supplement their pensions with spy work! They constantly lick their chops for more work (since many made bad investments or partied away their money) & try to turn good people into criminals. Judges pay them $65/hour to spy on innocent people! Many law firms have a fleet of spies who stalk locals, especially attractive women & those who are a threat to their criminal operations of massive money laundering & drug running which include Christains, Conservatives & those who have zero tolerance for drugs.
Evil lawyers here control all the money by taking it away from wealthy retirees, entrepreneurs, skilled workers, Christians, Conservatives, etc. & moving it into their hands & to their liberal partying drug entourage who dutifully serve their criminal operation. They terrorize & hold back those refusing to worship them & do as told. Once a cop gets comfortable in their position, buys a home & has a family, they are forced into the criminal game, otherwise, they'll go no where, be demoted or run out! Most surrender because they'd have to move. The Mafia grows & maintains control through fear & financial neediness so they've infiltrated the banks to monitor accounts (terrorize when they're low to force people in), CPA's to get financial info., businesses so employees are hired & fired, schools to brainwash future generations or punish the children of Christians & Conservatives, courts to create their own justice system, etc.
Almost 6 years later, I'm still stalked & terrorized with investigators chasing me around every time I step out my door! I spent years (& counting) sending the FED's massive evidence & research by going back into 10 years of client files, detailing unusual incidents since I moved here 22 years ago, connecting the creeps' backgrounds, reviewing phone records & contacts, investigating questionable people, etc. I took on an overwhelming endeavor & enormous criminal operation that's almost "Bigger Than God" in order to get justice by seeing them go to prison & regain my privacy & freedom. There was no other option but basically letting the FED's & Mafia Thugs give me a Death Sentence by forcing me into more isolation, having thugs scare the hell out of me, my life being further haunted so they can be caught, trapping me in my home with cameras & alarms, forcing me to spend every waken moment feeding the FED's info. so I can be freed, worrying about paying my bills every day for almost 6 years now, etc. &, thus, taking a serious toll on my health. I have no one to turn to since most people freak out over the mention that a Mafia exists so they run & avoid you, most of the community is Mafia & anybody I get close to is quickly terrorized by the Mafia! My funds have been so low that I can't even afford to buy a dog for companionship! I'm living in hell! I've tracked these savages from FL to IN, KY, NC, IL, MI, PA, NJ, NY, RI, CO, WI, AZ, TX, CA, HI, etc. & Canada, Germany, Russia, Ireland, England, etc. as the local Mafia had Mafia come in from these areas to terrorize me or work to usher me into their predatory criminal operation!
I had an incident with 2 Canadian brothers who I reported to the FED's years ago! One brother spoke like a very smart lawyer & owned a home in Punta Gorda & waterfront property in Cudjoe Key. His Punta Gorda home was hidden by heavy growth & in a Black drug area near a high school. I believe they were working with the criminal lawyers & cops in SWFL & SFL to organize shipments of cocaine to be delivered to FL. Corrupt cops clear the streets of good cops so contractors can move pallets of cocaine from boats to their warehouses. Mechanics & international distributing companies move the drugs to various states & into Canada! One pallet of coke has a $20M street value. I briefly dated the other brother, who was trying to lure me to Canada, right after I caught drug dealers in a criminal act & began exposing their operation to the police & City Mgr.! He visited twice then I got brainwashing emails that weren't from him but had his name on them so I would think it was him. These evil thugs were brainwashing me in order to traffick me to Canada! Thankfully, I didn't fall for it, otherwise, I'd likely be dead or forced into sex slavery right now! I'm now leery of Canadians!
I've been screaming to the White House, Congress, Atty General, FL lawyers, FED's, Ivy-League universities nationwide, Blacks, Women, retirees, locals, etc. for years to enlighten Americans as to what is really going on in America. Oddly, when I immediately contacted Main Stream Media TV in 2013 & 2014, they completely blew me off! Just shocking! I kept going after them with solid details & not one drop of interest or even a response. I now know that MSM has Deep State Mafia "Fake New" Reporters who are brainwashing Americans to keep them in the dark so they can live big while we are working slaves, killing ourselves to barely survive & constantly stressing over bills. They're wiping out the Middle Class so that we'll have no means at all to fight back & they can live bigger at our expense! They're traitors, allowing foreign countries to infiltrate America in order to try to overthrow our govt, & evil hypocrites, who'll do anything to keep stuffing their pockets with blood money, only caring about themselves & no regard for our lives & what future generations will face.
If Boomers think they can keep being "Politically Correct" & leave the dirty political work in America for someone else, we'll become prisoners to a dictatorship govt. Boomers now have no choice but to fight & step up to the plate by getting involved, otherwise, their pensions, investments & savings will vanish as these highly-sophisticated predators will steal everything they have, leaving Boomers impoverished & forced to become criminals or starve! Boomers all want to be liked & popular so most sat back for decades & allowed evil to take over the ruthless political positions. Self-Absorbed Boomers thought they were the smart ones by keeping their hands clean yet it all backfired on them! You can't have good government if the majority of good people cowardly whimper away! Freedom doesn't come freely, you have to fight for it!
I can’t feel sorry for her. She knew what she was doing. I feel bad for the kids though.
I dont understand the support. She did see the crime and did not report it to the police. Im sorry but she is guilty and should haven still be in jail. If you are blind to the crime and enjoying the fruits of the crime you should face up the consequences.
The justice is a complete flaw
The painful reality of a broken US justice system and a family caught in the middle. Sadness and triumph being the key ingredients. Wishing this family many years of overdue happiness moving forward. God bless.
The saddest part of this documentary is that it only mattered because the victim of the broken judicial system was a woman. Too many men have, and continue to be sent away, years lost, but are not considered in such a sympathetic light.
Blessings to you Cindy and and family. Thank you for sharing your story. I cried so much.