Exhibit - United States v. David T. Hines

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Summary

A character reference letter filed as an exhibit in United States v. David T. Hines in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, filed May 9, 2021. The letter is dated April 2, 2021, is addressed to Judge Marcia Cooke, and is written by a relative of the defendant who signs as a teaching professor in a university psychology department. It describes the writer's view of the defendant's character, calling him loving, sensitive, empathic, generous and resilient, and gives examples from his personal life and the business he started. The letter states that the defendant has taken responsibility and expressed remorse, and asks the judge to consider these thoughts in deciding the appropriate sentence.

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DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 
11200 SW 8th Street, DM 256, MMC • Miami, FL 33199 • Tel: (305) 348-2868 • Fax: (305) 348-3879   
 
 
April 2, 2021 
The Honorable Marcia Cooke 
United States Federal Court Judge 
400 North Miami Avenue 
Miami, Florida 33128 
  
Regarding: U.S. v. David Hines 
Dear Judge Cooke:  
David Hines is my nephew thus I have known him since he was born 29 years 
ago. I write this character reference to express my immense love and support. 
The cold, harsh reality of his upcoming sentencing is beyond sobering and 
excruciatingly painful not only for him but for his mom, wife, stepson and the 
rest of our family. It is with a heavy heart that I write this to you.  
The words that come to mind when I think of David are loving, sensitive, 
empathic, generous, and resilient. In the remainder of my comments, I will 
provide some background and then examples of situations and his behavior 
that have demonstrated each of these characteristics.  
David was born to two very loving parents with the odds against them. His 
mom, my sister, was a teenager when she gave birth and his father was just 
21 years old doing everything in his power to support his young family. With 
the help of my grandparents, his mom managed to work and finish high 
school. Despite their best efforts, the stress and hardships endured led to his 
parents' divorce when David was about 3 years old.  

My grandparents provided stability for David during his toddler years until he 
and my sister moved to Miami to live with me when he was 4 years old.  
David and his mom moved around in Miami quite a bit. At one point David 
went to live my brother in Alabama for a year or so to alleviate the stress my 
sister was under as a single mom. One of the most stabilizing and influential 
people in David’s life growing up, was my Grandmother Rice, his great-
grandmother, who lived in Niceville, Florida close to his father. During the 
summer months David would go stay with her and visit his father and 3 half 
siblings.  
Grandmother Rice was an incredibly loving and steadying force for all of us 
grandkids, but especially for David. She was strong in her Christian faith and 
showed us all what it’s like to live like Jesus. She was especially fond of 
David, and he of her. The bond they shared was incredibly special. Even as a 
teenager, David would go stay with her in her tiny apartment in Niceville, 
Florida helping her out with daily chores and walking her into church holding 
her hand on Sunday mornings.  
As previously mentioned, David has 3 half-siblings who lived with his father. 
One of the children was diagnosed with severe autism at a young age. 
Although David never had a close relationship with his father, he felt a close 
connection with his half siblings along with strong sense of responsibility for 
their wellbeing.  
These relationships give important context to the upcoming events in David’s 
life that made a huge impact on him. In 2016, Grandmother Rice passed 
away. David gave a beautiful heart-felt speech at her funeral. It was a huge 
loss for our family in general, and a very personal loss for David. The next 
year, David found out that his father was diagnosed with cancer and had only 
a short time to live. David made several trips to Niceville to be with his dad. 
Although he was sad about the prospect of his father dying, his beigest 
concern seemed to be for his little brother with Autism, Logan. Just a few 
short months after his diagnosis, his father died on Father’s Day 2017.  
I’m not certain that David ever grieved his father’s death, but it was very 
evident that David experienced deep sadness and concern for Logan and his 
future.  

 
 
 
 
 
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 
11200 SW 8th Street, DM 256, MMC • Miami, FL 33199 • Tel: (305) 348-2868 • Fax: (305) 348-3879   
David was 25 years old at the time and did everything in his power to gain 
custody of Logan making several trips to Niceville to appear in court on his 
behalf. He also sought out special schools and treatment centers in Miami in 
hopes of moving him down to live with him. It never seemed to cross David’s 
mind the amount of work, money and sacrifice he would be making to care for 
his little brother. He called me several times for advice about the situation. I 
tried to warn him about how difficult this would be for him; however, he 
wouldn’t listen. He was determined to do whatever he could to save this 
young boy. Notwithstanding David’s best efforts, custody was given to 
Logan’s mother who had been unstable in Logan's life, but seemed to be 
improving. This was a tough emotional blow for David.   
Despite the fact that David completed only a GED, he managed to start and 
run a very successful business about 7 years ago. I think his success and 
money made him feel proud of himself, as it should. He used it generously to 
help and support people like his brother Logan and others. Not long after the 
ordeal with Logan, David and his long-term girlfriend broke up. When this 
happened, he left her with everything they owned and even paid her rent, so 
she could remain in their apartment.  
David has been a provider and support for his wife Georgette and young 
stepson Patrick. Not just financially but emotionally as well. One time he even 
called me about parenting advice regarding little Patrick. His generosity and 
heart for helping others in need was also demonstrated in his caring for one of 
his former employees who was struggling with severe depression. David 
would call me for advice on how to get this young man help. David gave him a 
job and even paid for some of his mental health treatment.  
As illustrated previously, David is a good friend, husband, step-father, 
grandson, and brother but most of all he is a good and devoted son. His love 
for his mom has been consistently demonstrated in the way he regards and 
cares for her. As an adult has done what he can to be there for her in every 
way. In a letter he wrote to us, he expresses his deep concern for the agony 
his impending imprisonment is causing her, his wife, and his family. He has 
always spent holidays, birthdays, Sunday church and lunch with our family. 
He is very close with my two children, much younger than him, who adore 
him. His time away will be hugely impactful on all of us.  

In his letter to our family, he also explained the circumstances surrounding the 
federal crime he committed taking full responsibility for what he did and 
expressing great remorse. I pray that my brief comments here help highlight 
the character of the man who stands before you today. David is a loving, 
sensitive, empathic, generous, Christian man with integrity who made a very 
bad decision.  
Thank you, Your Honor, for taking these thoughts into consideration as you 
deliberate on the appropriate sentence. I am available to comment further if 
needed on David’s behalf at any time. 
 
Respectfully yours,  
 
 
Lisa Lewis Arango, Ph.D., LMHC 
License #MH5070 
Teaching Professor  
Florida International University 
Department of Psychology 
Miami, FL 33199 
arangol@fiu.edu

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