Five Former New Orleans Police Officers Plead Guilty, Sentenced in the Danziger Bridge Shooting Case

[nitpicker]

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/five-former-new-orleans-police-officers-plead-guilty-and-are-sentenced-danziger-bridge

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Louisiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Five Former New Orleans Police Officers Plead Guilty and are Sentenced in the Danziger Bridge Shooting Case

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced today that five former officers of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) pled guilty and were sentenced in connection with the federal civil rights prosecution of a police-involved shooting that occurred on the Danziger Bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina. That shooting left two innocent civilians dead and four others seriously wounded. The defendants also pled guilty and were sentenced for their roles in an extensive cover-up of the shooting.

KENNETH BOWEN pled guilty to Counts 1, 11, and 20; deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice by engaging in misleading conduct, respectively. BOWEN was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, to be followed by up to five years of supervised release on Counts 1 and 11, and up to three years as to Count 20.

ROBERT GISEVIUS pled guilty to Counts 1, 11, and 21; deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice by engaging in misleading conduct, respectively. GISEVIUS was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, to be followed by up to five years of supervised release on Counts 1 and 11, and up to three years as to Count 21.

ROBERT FAULCON pled guilty to Counts 8, 11, and 22; deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice by engaging in misleading conduct, respectively. FAULCON was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment, to be followed by up to five years of supervised release on Counts 8 and 11, and up to three years as to Count 22.

ANTHONY VILLAVASO pled guilty to Counts 1, 11, and 23; deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice by engaging in misleading conduct, respectively. VILLAVASO was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, to be followed by up to five years of supervised release on Counts 1 and 11, and up to three years as to Count 23.

ARTHUR KAUFMAN pled guilty to Counts 11 and 17, conspiracy to obstruct justice and falsification of evidence to obstruct justice, respectively. KAUFMAN was sentenced to three years imprisonment, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release as to Count 11, and up to five years as to Count 17.
(snip)

[Boomer]

1. Swift justice

If you're a crippled turtle.

[Lochloosa]

3. Swift no. Justice...yes.

[pengu]

4. How is this justice?

2 dead, 4 seriously wounded, and the worst sentence was only 12 years?

This was neither swift nor justice.

[Lochloosa]

6. They will be spending their time in Angola Prison.

Being cops, that will be in protective custody. That's basically solitary confinement. 12 years there will feel like a lifetime. And, likely will be for some of them.

[AllyCat]

2. Wow. Finally some justice. Years later.

I remember hearing about this incident and people tried to say it was all nonsense in the wake of the horrible response to Katrina. Then we found out it was true.

[myrna minx]

5. This is such a haunting and shameful chapter in our history.

I'm glad some justice has been brought to the traumatized community - but the scars still remain.