State senator Fumo gets below-guideline sentence of 55-months imprisonment on corruption charges

I got this great graphic here and the breaking news concerning the federal sentencing outcomes from state senator Vince Fumo thanks to live-blogging here from folks in Philly.  After what appears to have been a full-day sentencing hearing, Fumo should now be full of thanks toward both the US District Judge Ronald Buckwalter and his defense attorney after receiving a sentence of less than five years for his crimes of fraud and corruption. 

According to press reports, the original sentencing recommendation from in his presentence report calculated a guideline sentencing range of 21 to 27 years in prison, but this range was cut in half by an initial guideline calculation ruling.   Prosecutors, in turn, argued for the imposition of an above-guideline sentence, but the district judge apparently though 55 months behind bar was “sufficient, but not greater than necessary” under these circumstances.   Though I have not followed the particulars of this case closely, I sense that it now stands as a testament to effective defense advocacy.

This early story from the Philadelphia Inquirerprovides some more the crime and punishment details, including the amusing suggestion from one sentencing witness that life in prison may be less stressful than life on the outside:

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Pease and Robert A. Zauzmer had asked Buckwalter to impose a prison sentence of more than 15 years, while defense lawyers sought a sentence substantially shorter than the 11 to 14 years that could be imposed under the sentencing guidelines calculated by the judge.

They also asked the judge to fashion a sentence that would not be tantamount to death for Fumo, who they said has a shortened life expectancy because he suffers from heart problems, diabetes and other medical issues.  A lengthy prison term, they said, would in all likelihood mean that Fumo would die in prison.

Before today’s sentencing, John Menenti, a Bureau of Prison’s physician, challenged that assertion and suggested that prison would be a less stressful environment than the outside world of deadlines and cell phones.

You heard it here first: if you really need to book a special, get-away-from-it-all, less-stress vacation, be sure contact the travel agents at federal Bureau of Prison.  I know on good guideline authority that if one packs effectively — e.g., extra crack instead of powder, a gun along with the sunscreen — the government will try to send you to this “less stressful environment” (with all expenses paid) for quite a long time.