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Nun’s sentence is 2 yrs, 11 months; others get 5 yrs, 2 months; appeal likely in Y-12 protesters cas
http://knoxblogs.com/atomiccity/2014/02/18/nuns-sentence-2-yrs-11-months-get-5-yrs-2-months-appeal-likely-y-12-protesters-case/
In the end, U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar showed some leniency to the Y-12 protesters, handing out lower-than-recommended sentences to the three, but he emphasized Tuesday that no matter how much he admired their conviction to ridding the world of nuclear weapons, the law comes first.
“In our country I firmly believe that breaking the law is not the answer (to making change). The political process is,” Thapar said before sentencing Sister Megan Rice, the 84-year-old Catholic nun, and her co-defendants, Michael Walli, 65, and Greg Boertje-Obed, 58.
He refused to grant the nun’s request for a sentence that would keep her in federal prison for the rest of her life. He sentenced her to 35 months — only half of the low end of the government’s recommended sentencing range — saying he hoped that when she was released she would use her “brilliant mind” to make a difference in Washington, D.C., rather than commit crimes in Tennessee.
Walli and Boertje-Obed were each sentenced to 5 years and 2 months in prison. Those sentences also were significantly lower than the government’s recommended punishment for the pair, each of whom has been arrested dozens of times for protest actions.
<snip>
The three were convicted nine months ago on charges of sabotage and destruction of government property. But Thapar made it clear early in the hearing that he did not believe the government’s sentencing guideline for those charges was appropriate for nonviolent protesters, noting that — even though they caused harm at Y-12 — they were unarmed and did not plan to disrupt operations by force.
<snip>
Thapar quizzed Theodore a couple of times about how the nation’s defense was actually damaged by the protesters. The federal prosecutor cited previous testimony that the Oak Ridge plant’s credibility was damaged by the incursion by protesters.
<snip>
In the end, U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar showed some leniency to the Y-12 protesters, handing out lower-than-recommended sentences to the three, but he emphasized Tuesday that no matter how much he admired their conviction to ridding the world of nuclear weapons, the law comes first.
“In our country I firmly believe that breaking the law is not the answer (to making change). The political process is,” Thapar said before sentencing Sister Megan Rice, the 84-year-old Catholic nun, and her co-defendants, Michael Walli, 65, and Greg Boertje-Obed, 58.
He refused to grant the nun’s request for a sentence that would keep her in federal prison for the rest of her life. He sentenced her to 35 months — only half of the low end of the government’s recommended sentencing range — saying he hoped that when she was released she would use her “brilliant mind” to make a difference in Washington, D.C., rather than commit crimes in Tennessee.
Walli and Boertje-Obed were each sentenced to 5 years and 2 months in prison. Those sentences also were significantly lower than the government’s recommended punishment for the pair, each of whom has been arrested dozens of times for protest actions.
<snip>
The three were convicted nine months ago on charges of sabotage and destruction of government property. But Thapar made it clear early in the hearing that he did not believe the government’s sentencing guideline for those charges was appropriate for nonviolent protesters, noting that — even though they caused harm at Y-12 — they were unarmed and did not plan to disrupt operations by force.
<snip>
Thapar quizzed Theodore a couple of times about how the nation’s defense was actually damaged by the protesters. The federal prosecutor cited previous testimony that the Oak Ridge plant’s credibility was damaged by the incursion by protesters.
<snip>
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