Well, so much for that hazy “people convicted of perjury and lying to federal agents during the course of an investigation didn’t really commit crimes and oughtn’t go to jail, and they never prosecute that anyway” talking point malarky. And it comes from the US Supreme Court, too:
The case that the court decided yesterday, Rita v. United States, No. 06-5754, was meant to help define “advisory.”
Victor Rita, convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, asked for a lighter sentence based in part on his past military service. But the judge gave him 33 months, as suggested by the guidelines. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, based in Richmond, upheld the sentence, saying that penalties within the guidelines are “presumptively reasonable.”
Hmmmm…he committed perjury while under oath before a federal grand jury which was investigating his allegedly criminal actions and he also lied to federal agents. And federal prosecutors brought this case against him, tried him in a court of law and a jury of his peers convicted him, and then a federal judge sentenced him under the federal sentencing guidelines applicable to his conduct, with a bump up for an enhanced penalty for the underlying crime related to the investigation.Now why does that sound familiar, I ask myself?
You have to read the
entire thing. It is beautiful.