Former Conn. Governor Sentenced - A Kiss
Posted on Fri Mar 18, 2005 at 04:15:12 PM EST
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Bump and Update: Former Governor John Rowland got a kiss from the Judge today at his sentencing. The Judge sentenced him to 1 year and 1 day , which means it's a ten month (and change) sentence. Federal good time is 54 days a year, and kicks in after a year is served. Many judges will give the defendant a one year sentence (instead of a year and a day) so that he or she has to serve the whole year.
Rowland's plea agreement had his lawyers calculating the sentence at 15 to 21 months. The Government asked for 37 to 46 months, saying he lied to a probation officer and tried to hide a retirement account. The Judge agreed with the defense that the account was not hidden. The Judge also recommended the institution Rowland asked for in Massachussetts.
Judge Dorsey said he believed the sentence was in keeping with federal guidelines, and that he took into consideration Rowland's record of public service. Dorsey, 73, who was appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, summed up Rowland's crime before delivering the sentence.
Update: Peter G. points out in comments that if you add the four months of house arrest to the ten months (and change) in jail, you almost get the 15 months which was the bottom of the guideline range in the plea agreement.
Original Post:
Former Connecticut Governor John Rowland will be sentenced today in federal court. It looks like he will be going to jail for some period of time. From Connecticut blogger Kirby's Report:
With former Governor John Rowland set to be sentenced tomorrow, Rowland's lawyers and prosecutors submitted sentencing requests today. The prosecutors recommendation suggests that Rowland tried to deceive probation officers by hiding a $416,000 retirement account, which is why they recommend that Rowland receive a sentence between 30 and 37 months. The plea agreement that Rowland's attorneys orchestrated calls for a 15 to 21 month sentence.
....Rowland's attorney, William F. Dow III, denied that Rowland attempted to hide the account, which was already publicly documented. Approximately 90 letters were submitted on Rowland's behalf and Rowland will address the court in person tomorrow. Adding to the interest in this case, U.S. District Judge Peter C. Dorsey will also be faced with one of Connecticut's first major post-Booker sentencings.
Law Prof Doug Berman at Sentencing Law and Policy writes:
I pondered in this post earlier this week what sentence Rowland should get under Booker. Most commentors predicted a within-range sentence. Interestingly, this Hartford Courant editorial asserts that "[e]ven the maximum penalty of five years for the charge should be considered blessedly short" for Rowland.
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