Judge rejects shorter sentence for Braidwood woman convicted of sexual assault

A judge denied a motion from a Braidwood woman to reduce her 15-year prison sentence after she was convicted of engaging in a threesome with her boyfriend and a teen, court records show.

On Thursday, Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak rejected a motion from Tabitha Ledwa, 45, that requested a shorter prison sentence. Ledwa’s attorney, Timothy Specht, said Bertani-Tomczak didn’t give a reason for the denial.

Specht said he didn’t make a specific recommendation for a new prison sentence for Ledwa but wanted something closer to the minimum in her case, which is eight years.

Ledwa must serve at least 85% of her sentence before she is eligible for parole. Her projected parole date is Aug. 31, 2029, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Specht had argued in a motion that Ledwa's prison sentence was "excessive" because she has no history of felonies or sex crimes, once held two jobs, and completed alcohol abuse counseling while incarcerated.

Specht's motion claimed Ledwa's behavior was induced by her boyfriend, David Zauratsky, 46, and she had "no other incidents of sexually inappropriate behavior" before she began her relationship with him.

Zauratsky pleaded guilty to the criminal sexual assault of the teen at the same time as Ledwa on Dec. 5, 2018.

Before Zauratsky's guilty plea, his attorney, Michael Renzi, filed a motion for a separate trial. Zauratsky and Ledwa were scheduled to go to trial together. Renzi's motion claimed Ledwa planned to accuse Zauratsky of forcing her to participate in the sexual abuse.