Rowland gets a year and a day

The AP report here that former Connecticut Governor John Rowland, who in December pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to steal honest service, received a sentence today of one year plus one day in prison.  (The extra day, because it makes Rowland eligible for good-time credit, actually make the sentence more lenient than if it was just one year.)  As discussed in this prior post, Rowland’s guideline range was 15-21 months, and thus Judge Peter Dorsey must have granted either a downward departure or a Booker variance.

Thanks to the Hartford Courant, I now have found links the to sentencing memoranda filed in the case.  The defense memo, available here, simply asked for a sentence below 15-21 months, and the prosecutors’ memo, available here, requested a sentence of between 30-37 months.  Though I suspect the Rowland was hoping to avoid any prison time, the final outcome suggests Rowland’s sentence ought to be counted as a post-Booker win for the defense.

Continuing his fine coverage of major Connecticut law stories, the blog Kirby’s Reports has a lot more information and links on the Rowland story.