Why Hastert Got More Time In Jail Than He Pleaded For
By Robert WildeboerWhy Hastert Got More Time In Jail Than He Pleaded For
By Robert Wildeboer
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The 15-month sentence handed down to Dennis Hastert last week put some surprise into a plea bargaining system that doesn’t like surprises. When the former US House Speaker pleaded guilty prosecutor agreed to a sentence of zero to six months.
The judge more than doubled that.
A former federal prosecutor says that kind of unpredictability can make it hard for defendant to analyze the risk of going to trial verses taking a plea. But Hastert’s case was an aberration in so many ways that his surprisingly long sentence shouldn’t affect other plea deals.