Appeals Court Throws Out Sentence in Bombing Plot, Calling It Too Light

[paulsby]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/us/03bomber.html

A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out the 22-year prison sentence imposed in 2005 on Ahmed Ressam, known as the Millennium Bomber, who plotted to set off explosives at Los Angeles International Airport on New Year’s Eve in 1999. The court said the sentence was too light.

Athree-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, said Mr. Ressam did not deserve the “substantial reduction” in his sentence from the minimum of 65 years in federal sentencing guidelines because he backed out of his agreement to cooperate with investigators.

The court also took the unusual step of calling for a new trial judge to consider the next sentence, because the federal judge who issued the original decision had already once declined to increase Mr. Ressam’s prison term.

It was the second recent ruling in which an appeals court called for consideration of tougher sentencing in a terrorism-related case. In November, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in New York, sent the case of Lynne F. Stewart, a lawyer found guilty in 2005 of aiding terrorism by smuggling information from an imprisoned client to his violent followers in Egypt, back to a trial judge to determine whether she should receive more than her 28-month sentence.

[zbdent]

1. This guy should get O'Keefe's lawyers ...

I mean, he didn't actually kill anybody, right? Isn't that what O'Keefe's trying to use to weasel his way out of a federal offense? That he actually didn't TRY to tap Landrieu's phones (despite having all the equipment on hand for doing so ...)

[paulsby]

2. you are comparing okeefe to a bomber?

yea, great analogy.

also, please list what equipment okeefe had on hand to tap the phones. i haven't read about it. i'd love to be enlightened.

[zbdent]

3. ...

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/pdf/FBI_affadavit_012610.pdf

[paulsby]

4. you failed.

i've already read that affidavit. just did it again, nowhere does it mention that okeefe had equipment to TAP PHONES, which is what i asked evidence for to support.

i am not saying he didn't. i am saying i have seen no EVIDENCE that he did, and you provided a link that does not suppport the phone tap equipment claim

hth

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

5. Because planning to tap a phone and planning to kill hundreds of people deserve the same punishment.

:eyes:

[rgbecker]

6. I hope none of you find out what I'm planning.....

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

7. I hope your parents don't find out.