Intriguing spread in outcomes after Mississippi “Goon Squad” sentencings

I have not followed at all the ugly details involved in the so-called “Goon Squad” case from Mississippi, but a number of folks have flagged these cases for me this week as six police officers have been sentenced in federal court for abusing two men.  This new CBS News article provides some details under the headline “All 6 officers from Mississippi “Goon Squad” have been sentenced to prison for torturing 2 Black men.”  Here are the basics:

Sentencing has concluded for the six white former officers in Mississippi who pleaded guilty to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing two Black men.

High-ranking former deputy Brett McAlpin, 53, was the fifth former law enforcement officer sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee after pleading guilty to the attack, which involved beatings, repeated uses of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth. The final member of the group, 32-year-old former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield, was given a sentence of about 10 years on Thursday afternoon….

Lee has also sentenced four other former law enforcement officers who were involved in the attack.  Christian Dedmon was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in that attack and another incident in December 2022.  Hunter Elward was sentenced to over 20 years in prison.  Two other officers, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke, were sentenced to 17.5 years in prison each.

For each of the deputies sentenced so far, Lee has handed down prison terms near the top of the sentencing guidelines. Lee has previously called the officers’ actions “egregious and despicable.” The attack involved beatings, repeated uses of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth in a mock execution gone awry.

Once inside, the officers mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns. They handcuffed them and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. Dedmon and Opdyke assaulted them with a sex toy. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess, and Hartfield guarded the bathroom door to make sure the men didn’t escape.

After Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw, they devised a coverup. McAlpin pressured Parker to go along with it, asking him to keep quiet in exchange for his freedom. The deputies agreed to plant drugs, and false charges stood against Jenkins and Parker for months. McAlpin and Middleton, the oldest men of the group, threatened to kill the other officers if they spoke up….

Attorneys for several of the deputies said their clients became ensnared in a culture of corruption that was not only permitted, but encouraged by leaders within the sheriff’s office.

Based on this article, I surmise the sentencing outcomes (and apparently the guideline calculations) for this joint criminal activity varied considerably because the roles of each defendant varied considerably (and it seems the one defendant who got the very longest sentence was being sentenced for two incidents).   I would be eager to hear in the comments from anyone who has followed these cases more closely about more of the sentencing details.