Trumpland

Manafort Sentence Irks Lawyers of Petty Criminals Serving Harsher Prison Terms

SLAP ON THE WRIST?

“Saw a kid get 15 years today for stealing lawnmowers,” one lawyer wrote.

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Handout/Reuters

At his sentencing hearing on Thursday, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded with Judge TS Ellis to show some compassion. And with a sentence of just 47 months in prison for hiding and evading taxes on millions, it appears the judge heeded his call—maybe even a bit too much, according to the many lawyers who took to Twitter to vent about what they described as a slap on the wrist. Ahead of the sentencing, Manafort was facing a sentence of 19 to 24 years, in accordance with sentencing guidelines for fraud. Several attorneys were left scratching their heads as they wondered aloud on Twitter why their clients, who were convicted of equal or lesser crimes, wound up serving harder time.

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