They broke the law yes, but the punishment did not fit the crime. My personal opinion is that reassignment would have been in order, but that’s just me...
Unfortunately, the sentence length is mandatory. :(
They should have gotten a departmental slap on the wrist, which is the excepted punishment for improper paperwork-filing. Instead they get thrown in jail for a decade.
The judge had no discretion. The sentences were mandated by law. :(