Posted on 12/04/2006 2:25:37 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a mandatory 55-year prison sentence, condemned as excessive by the federal judge who imposed it, for a man convicted of carrying a handgun during three marijuana deals.
Record producer Weldon Angelos received the minimum sentence under the law -- a harsher sentence than a child rapist or a terrorist who detonates a bomb aboard an aircraft would receive, according to his attorneys. The justices, without comment, left the prison term undisturbed.
Angelos was convicted of 16 counts of violating federal firearms, drug and money laundering laws in 2003. The charges stemmed from his sale of three 8-ounce bags of marijuana to an undercover informant.
He had a gun but never brandished or used it. Nevertheless, the three counts of possession of a firearm in a drug transaction required the mandatory minimum sentence.
Four former attorneys general and 145 former prosecutors and judges wrote in support of a lighter sentence for Angelos. Even the sentencing judge, U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell, an appointee of President Bush, called the sentence "unjust, cruel and irrational." But he said the law left him no choice.
Prosecutors said the sentence was appropriate and an appeals court agreed.
The case is Angelos v. U.S., 06-26.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Every penalty is avoidable, so why not make the sentence for EVERY felony and misdemeanor death?
Perhaps legislatures have overreacted and will revisit the issue. Just as soon as they do, you can bet liberal judges will return to dumping felons unpunished back into society.
I think the trend here is to be lenient on crimes against people but to get strict on crimes against the state. Five years from now people might get life in prison for the new crime of having tobacco products and a gun while murderers will be given a few months of self-esteem councelling and sent free.
It will be, as soon as sharia law is established. Meanwhile, keep smoking shooting up or whatever, they need more bullets.
Absolutely. When the sentences become draconian, the alternative of just shooting your way out and taking as many as possible with you becomes a little more likely.
55 years is a death sentence.
Yes it is. It's felony possession for the purposes of trafficking.
fel·o·ny (fĕl'ə-nē)
1. One of several grave crimes, such as murder, rape, or burglary, punishable by a more stringent sentence than that given for a misdemeanor.
2. Any of several crimes in early English law that were punishable by forfeiture of land or goods and by possible loss of life or a bodily part.
Maybe they should chop his wee wee off instead, and let him go.
Many cases where people are sentenced for multiple counts of a crime having been caught once yield nonsensical results; this is more properly a subject for legislatures to address than judges, but somebody needs to create some logical standards.
If someone throws a rock through a window, that's one act of vandalism. If on the next day the person throws another rock through someone else's window, that's clearly a second act of vandalism. Suppose, though, the person had instead thrown two rocks through the same window, thirty seconds apart, with the second rock knocking off some more glass. Would that be one act or two? Should someone who throws 70 rocks through one window in a short time be punished ten times as harshly as someone who threw one rock through a different person's windows every day for a week?
I remember where lazy people figured it was too much trouble to research and elect decent judges, and to goto the polls to vote out judges that were unjust, and opportunistic politicians made hay out of it.
Next thing we knew were were in bizarro world where a guy can kill 10 innocent people, including infants, with his car (George Russell Weller), be found guilty of vehicular manslaughter and face only 18 years maximum, and another guy can sell a pound of weed to an undercover and receive 55 years minimum.
That's within reality in Islamic countries. Kill an infidel, well, that's ok. But how dre you have a bottle of whiskey! Actually, chopping off body parts is the first step, unless it'sa real serious crime, like tossing a candy bar wrapper on mosk property, or saying something bad about Mohammad. Chopping wee-wee's off pot heads, dealers or otherwize might be better than 55 year sentences, they are useless on pot heads anyways.
Ya, but it facilitates his profession, and could potentially facilitate the transaction, even if it in fact did not in this instance. I am not saying the distinction is dispositive and one that will or should necessarily float your boat, I am just saying it exists.
Yes, lets keep omitting the felony weapons charges and the money laundering charges, maybe they will go away. Try remember that his sentence is for a combination of felonies, not just one.
No doubt his past record has some bearing on the matter as well.
16 times?
The only reason he received a mandatory minimum sentance is because of three times sold drugs to the undercover officer (three counts of posession of a firearm during drug transaction.) None of the other counts were responsible for a minimum sentance.
The only reason he received a mandatory minimum sentance is because of three times sold drugs to the undercover officer (three counts of posession of a firearm during drug transaction.) None of the other counts were responsible for a mandatory minimum sentance.
Yes, just chop his genitals off. I am not spending any more time debating someone who is making a game of being intentionally obtuse.
I'm talking about felons. Double all of their sentences, and it's still not enough.
I don't mind paying for more prisons if it gets these thugs off the street.
>The sentence should should be in proportion to the crime. This sentence clearly is not. Unjust sentencing like unjust laws foster disrespect for the law.<
Word.
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