Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., revised a sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone on Tuesday, saying the longtime Trump confidante deserves a prison sentence “far less” than the 87 to 108–month recommendation submitted Monday.
Prosecutors said in the new filing that the previous recommendation was “excessive,” and more in line with cases involving violent offenses rather than the obstruction charges that Stone faced.
“The prior filing submitted by the United States on February 10, 2020 does not accurately reflect the Department of Justice’s position on what would be a reasonable sentence in this matter,” wrote John Crabb, Jr., an assistant U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.
“While it remains the position of the United States that a sentence of incarceration is warranted here, the government respectfully submits that the range of 87 to 108 months presented as the applicable advisory Guidelines range would not be appropriate or serve the interests of justice in this case.”
The revised filing was submitted after a tumultuous day in the Stone case. Three prosecutors who worked on the case withdrew from the proceedings after a Justice Department official signaled that top brass was unhappy with the hefty prison recommendation.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump voiced his displeasure with the initial recommendation, which he called a “miscarriage of justice.”
The main difference in the two sentencing recommendations deals with how prosecutors want to handle a witness tampering charge against Stone.
Stone was convicted Nov. 15, 2019, on five false statements charges, an obstruction charge, and a witness tampering charge, all related to his interactions with the House Intelligence Committee during its Russia investigation.
Prosecutors alleged Stone threatened a longtime associate, Randy Credico, in order to prevent him from cooperating with the House investigation or the special counsel’s probe.
At Stone’s trial, prosecutors pointed to an April 2018 message in which Stone told Credico, “Prepare to die, cocksucker.”
Stone also told Credico, who he has worked with since 2002, that he would take his dog.
In their initial filing, prosecutors asserted that Stone’s threats warranted an eight-level enhancement to his sentence, which would significantly increase his recommended prison term.
But prosecutors appear to have reversed their thinking about the enhancements in the newest filing.
The filing cited two cases where an eight-level enhancement was imposed. In one case, a defendant involving in a gang war gave the “green light” to two gang members to “smash” a cooperating witness. In another case, a defendant was slapped with an eight-level enhancement after he “threatened to rape and kill the wife of a cooperating witness in a drug distribution conspiracy prosecution.”
Prosecutors said that while the enhancements were “perhaps technically applicable,” they “disproportionately” increased Stone’s offense level to one usually seen in crimes involving violent crimes like armed robbery.
Prosecutors said that if the enhancement for threatening Credico was not added on to Stone’s sentence, he would have received a recommendation of between 37 and 46 months in prison.
“Accordingly, it would be reasonable for the Court to conclude that the Guidelines range as calculated is unduly high on the facts of this case.”
Stone has long insisted his threat was not a serious one. He’s said that he and Credico have been on-and-off friends for years, and often trash-talked each other.
While Credico claimed in media interviews in 2018 that he felt threatened by Stone, he testified at Stone’s trial that he did not take the messages seriously and never felt that he was in physical danger.
Credico wrote to Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Jan. 20 pleading for no jail time for Stone.
It was an outrage at the same time as rapists and murderers, drug dealers and spousal abusers are arrested then let go with No Bail.
These newly elected Soros prosecutors empty our prisons of violent criminals but Deep State thinks it can get away with imprisoning a sick old man for (in effect) life???
@Nan G: Had he only donated to Hillarys foundation we wouldnt have this issue.
Timothy Shea, the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia who overrode the sentencing recommendation of all four federal prosecutors involved in the Roger Stone case, was appointed to his position by William Barr only 9 days ago.
Shea, formerly Barr’s adviser, was quickly appointed to fill the vacancy left when Jessie Liu, the former U.S. Attorney for D.C., was nominated by Trump to serve as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Normally Liu would have then continued in the U.S. Attorney for D.C. spot until the Treasury nomination was confirmed; instead, she was immediately removed so that Shea could be moved in.
Five days later, Trump withdrew Liu’s Treasury nomination from consideration before the Senate. By then Shea had already performed his assigned task of overturning Stone’s sentencing recommendation.
February 12, 2020 – We Now Have a Perfect Symbol of Trump and Barr’s Badly Damaged DOJ
Trump isn’t the only vindictive figure involved:
February 11, 2020 – Trump withdraws Treasury nomination of former U.S. attorney for D.C. Jessie K. Liu after criticism of her oversight of Mueller prosecutions
Jackson needs to be disbarred. She’s just a deep state tool. All of this is nothing but political retribution. That’s the Obama legacy; political weaponization of the government. Trump is, thankfully, reversing all this.
@Deplorable Me: Seriously they want another investigation for this. What charges actually triggered an early morning raid and arrest with CNN there to film the swat teams?
Pulling a disabled woman out of her home in her nightgown, terrorizing a little dog.
Was this guy planning a terrorist attack?
Serial murderer, rapist, fugitive of the law?
Truly a media event of Mueller saving America from this vicious criminal.
The witness he threatened, “prepare to die and I’m gonna take that dog from you”, He wrote a letter asking the Judge for no jail time, he sounds terrified.
Just an old political has been trying so hard to sound like he is in the center of the action, a blowhard.
No charges that have anything to do with the election or Russians, just like the rest of Muellers fake, fraud, hoax cases.
@Deplorable Me, #4:
Trump can’t touch a federal judge. Once he’s out of office, the reverse will not be true.
Stone has appeal rights, the same as anyone else. Trump could pardon him. He does have that power. Instead, he’s corrupting the system by having others do his bidding. He wants the DoJ to be his tool, and he’s more than halfway there.
Barr will be testifying before the House Judiciary Committee next month. It could be interesting.
@Greg:
Thank goodness Obama was above all that and never involved his opinion in any legal case, right?
@retire05, #7:
You are correct. Obama never weighed in by publicly stating his opinion on any case that was before a jury in criminal court, nor did he ever say or do anything that might influence a federal judge’s sentencing decision on any specific criminal case.
Obama did on occasion express opinions about court cases involving legislation and executive orders challenged on constitutional grounds, which would fall into an entirely different category than criminal cases. The two categories cannot be honestly conflated.
@Greg: It was political, the Lawyers went rogue .
Again you wont like the source but try to make play pretend this comes from Vox or Slate. https://townhall.com/columnists/marinamedvin/2020/02/12/exclusive-what-happened-in-the-roger-stone-case-prosecutorial-misconduct-says-defense-lawyer-n2561231
Now it is strictly up to the Judge.
@Greg:
No, he just spoke out about a case that he ordered his Justice Department to investigate that eventually went to trial. Using the standard you seem to hold for Trump, Obama was definitely tainting a pending investigation/case.
But then, Obama could do all kinds of bad things and you had no problem with them. You know, like using the IRS against political rivals ala FDR.
@Greg: I never said anything about Trump “touching” a federal judge. I said the liberal hack needs to be disbarred.
That’s because his DOJ would never prosecute anyone he protected. Pretty simple.
@retire05: These attorneys, Barr is their boss, did not follow chain of command. They are part of Mullers crooked dream team , the ones that couldnt find a Russian to indict properly, no collusion with Russians years and unlimited resources. So insane with TDS they use a ploy pretty much reserved for the worst of the Mafia to extend a sentence.
Why all the attention?
Rudy stuff going to the DOJ, dont look there look here. FISA abuse dont look there.
If Stone had raped AOC he’d have gotten a lighter sentence (about half) than for lying about something completely meaningless
@DrJohn: Its all about scalps talking points and media soundbites, its all they have.
@DrJohn: If he had raped AOC, he could have pled insanity.
@kitt: It’s about sending a message to those who oppose the liberal agenda. Anyone that participates in a non-leftist government will be subjected to constant investigation, persecution, intimidation and threats of ruin.
@Deplorable Me: William Barr To Testify Before House Judiciary Committee About Giuliani ‘Feeding’ Info to DOJ, Jessie Liu, and Roger Stone
Wonder if they will CSPAN that on March 31st, idiots are already screaming impeachment over the Stone tweet.
It just will never end until we vote them out.
@kitt: I hope the Republicans can get some of Giuliani’s evidence exposed. Democrats should learn how painful it can be to play these stupid games.
@Deplorable Me: Aint playing, this is no game, this is already in the hands of a special independent investigating prosecutor, it has been for weeks, it also aint just about Lunchbox and his spawn.
I am hoping the “children” of Soros are never eligible for another dime of US money.
@kitt:
Can’t wait to see that. Jabba the Hut is not all that bright and he will be the lion up against Daniel.
And what kind of legal mind is Jabba the Hut. Law 101; never ask a question of a witness when you don’t know the answer. Jabba the Hut asked three. Ooops.
@retire05:
Every time these Bolshevik bozos have a hearing it backfires- Mueller, impeachment. The Obama administration and the DS broke the law and abused their power and the demokrats don’t want the JUSTICE Department to investigate it. Barr’s top two responses to their questions should be, “I can’t comment on that because of an ongoing criminal investigation” and “You’ll find out when the indictments are made public.” Can you imagine the expression on their corrupt, sorry faces? Let them keep poking the bear.
Sundance has an excellent take.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/02/12/excellent-news-hjc-chairman-jerry-nadler-demands-testimony-from-ag-bill-barr-scheduled-hearing-march-31st/
@Greg: The whole thing was a set up by the 4 traitors that resigned. They knew their sentencing recommendation was out way out of line, and wanted to put on a show with their resignations. Schumer and the rest were notified and ready with their statements.
Barr acted before Trump’s tweet so that was a nothingburger.
Just another failed Deep State dirty trick.
@kitt, #9:
The jurors who heard the testimony and examined evidence against Roger Stone didn’t think so. They concluded Stone was guilty as charged on all felony counts. Nor were his crimes trivial. They were serious statutory offenses. Together, they carried a potential maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. His eccentric manner is hardly a credible defense. He knew what he was doing. A sentencing recommendation of 7 years was not at all out of line with federal sentencing guidelines.
It’s the intervention of Trump and his tools in the DoJ that has rendered the process political, not the investigation, charges, or trial process, which were all done as they would normally be done.
Every alarm buzzer and flashing light warning us that our constitutional system of government is at serious risk is presently going off, and half the country remains totally oblivious to what is happening, step by obvious step. Half the country has been convinced that anyone who points this out is an Enemy of the People and an Enemy the Leader—a fundamentally unAmerican mode of thinking which should itself be taken as a warning. It’s the sort of thinking that has set in with the rise of every dangerous authoritarian government in modern history.
This is not hyperbole. What do you think Trump is doing? He has been declared immune from prosecution for violation of statutory law; he has essentially neutralized congressional oversight and the power of impeachment; now he is demonstrating willful disregard for the independence of the federal justice system, intervening to protect his political operatives. He’s promoting the investigation, prosecution, and persecution of those he considers to be his political enemies. He’s conducting a purge—not of “deep state” actors, but as a means of removing anyone who doesn’t fall in line behind him and follow his orders.
The judge might have given Roger Stone a lighter sentence than was recommended. If Trump found the judge’s sentence inequitable, he then would have had the entirely legitimate presidential power of clemency and pardon at his disposal. Instead, he chose to demonstrate his power over the criminal justice process itself, which no president rightfully has, and which only serves to erode its credibility and diminish the strength of constitutional law.
This guy has got to go. We’ve got one election to accomplish that. If we don’t, we’re headed for serious trouble that might break the nation.
@Greg: Actually greggie, if the comments you make here were under oath you would be charged with similar crimes and if you had a biased jury like the one who judged Stone, you would now be serving time. Please tell us that your protesting that the Stone persecution was not political is made with your tongue in your cheek!
@Greg:
The sentence was way outside of the guidelines and it wasn’t Trump who intervened.
The judge? Amy Berman Jackson. Somehow Stone managed to find himself before the very same judge who added 47 months to Manafort’s sentence. Berman Jackson is an obama appointee. This was a setup designed to evoke the response you now project.
James Wolfe indicted and convicted on 3 counts of lying to the FBI. Sentence? Two months.
@Greg:
A couple more things- Lois Lerner targeted conservative groups and she got off scot free. She clearly was acting on obama’s direction.
A rapist gets an average of four years
Armed robbery three years
This sentencing was obscene, just as was the dawn swat raid complete with automatic weapons on a 67 year old guy and his deaf wife with no record. The whole thing is bullsh*t. All of it derives from a hoax.
It was ALL a setup.
@DrJohn: Greg is going to feel the same way when Comey, Brennen, and the rest of the crossfire hurricane coup players go before a Trump appointed Judge with a 10 of 12 republican jury. Maybe they should pick someone Trump campaigned for as jury foreman. The venue Texas.
@Greg:
Ah yes, the standard “The world is going to end” fear-mongering that’s helped you Dem tools for decades. Seems no one is listening anymore.
This guy has to stay. The alternative is some form of socialistic monster sanctioned by your Globalist Bosses who want America weak.
You lose.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/the-morning-briefing-granny-winebox-is-going-to-hand-this-election-to-trump/
@Nathan Blue, #27:
Trump is methodically destroying the mechanisms and safeguards protecting our democratic republic as they get in the way of his rapidly expanding personal power. His followers are cheering him on. They question nothing that he says, no matter how patently false, and have been inoculated against all contradictory information.
I know you’re not listening. Your mind and the thoughts in it are no longer your own. They’re an accumulation of right-wing conspiracy theories, disinformation, and propaganda memes. You can find them endlessly repeated on Trump’s Twitter feed, on FOX News, and on right-wing forums and social media sites. The censor that filters out all else has been internalized. You’ve become the guard of your own prison. You’re incapable of thinking outside of that context.
@Greg: Hey dummy! What safeguards is Trump destroying? DOJ is in the administrative branch of the government. You are confusing this with the Judicial branch. But then greggie, you are always confused!
@Randy:
The checks and balances safeguards that make any president answerable to Congress;
the independence of the courts and federal criminal justice system from White House influence and manipulation; the rule of law itself, that makes components of our government responsible to the Constitution first, and to a president’s commands second. In short, all the small details that make our nation a constitutional republic rather than an authoritarian state. Pay attention.
Dedicated to Donald…
@Greg:
You’re projecting again, Comrade Greggie.
@retire05, #32:
Turning around the accusation is one of Trump’s favorite tools. It works best after creating an incomprehensible muddle of contradictions, disinformation, lies, and confusion. It ceases to work when people notice he lies constantly and begin truth-checking every statement that comes out of his mouth. That’s why so much time and energy is devoted to keeping his followers from straying off the reservation and looking into alternate news and information sources. They had to be demonized and turned into an Enemy of the People early on.
The man is a gold-plated two-bit con artist, turned populace cult figure.
@Greg:
More left wing blather dictated to you by your handlers.
Of course, diversion is the tool of the left wing (Rules for Radicals). Accuse the other side of what your side is actually guilty of doing. Hiring foreign agents to dig up dirt on an opponent (Hillary/DNC), illegal FISA applications, lying to Congress when under oath (Comey, Brennan, Clapper, the list is long), all things the left accuse others of when they are the guilty ones.
I don’t know how much you are being paid by your handlers to destroy your own self respect, but you seem to think it is worth it.
@Greg:
Keep letting half of American know that you, on the left, think they are too damn stupid to think for themselves and form an opinion. Yeah, that’s a winning tactic, NOT.
The open invitation is for people to think for themselves. Don’t let Donald Trump or anybody else do your thinking for you.
@Greg: We have watched all along, it was our sources that told us Mueller would find nothing and the whole FISA issue was a farce, proven by the IG report. You have been wrong the entire time now you tell us we cant think for ourselves, its totally amusing.
@Greg: Dummy, the courts are not under the administrative branch! Prosecution is. Trump thought that the sentence recommended by the Mueller gang was not fair based upon other similar violations. Also, the Mueller gang lied to Barr who is their real boss. Barr gave them a talking to and they quit because they were still angry that they were unable to get Trump! The legislative branch is over stepping their authority, They do not have authority to dictate to the President as long as he is working within his constitutional authority. He is and has been. You are the dummy greggie! Please do not continue to boor us when you are ignorant of the facts. Do some research before you make a fool of yourself.
What Mueller found wasn’t >nothing, as his report conclusions clear states, and as anyone who reads it will discover.
The coordination between Barr and the White House to allow Trump time for his Totally Exonerated marketing tour was a clear signal that something was seriously wrong at the highest levels.
The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the President
@Greg: You love that Kool-Aid greggie, no matter the flavor. Can not resist that far left tripe!
@Greg:
Oh, if we could only offer the same “scrutiny” to Obama’s daily conduct.
Or perhaps your own, greggie.
We’d have you in chains.
@another vet:
I wonder why they never raised any questions when Obama was totally weaponizing the DOJ for his political needs?
Um… Steele dossier?
I can’t wait for the Republicans to ask Barr if Giuliani provided anything “troubling”. Ka. Boom.
@Greg:
Oh. You mean the bitterly partisan jurors Jackson allowed while denying Stone’s representation to excuse them and allow anyone that had supported Republicans in the past? THOSE jurors? You really love this police state concept, don’t you?
But, Greg… you don’t LIKE the separation of powers. You just supported impeachment because Trump exercised his right to keep the executive separate from the legislative. Oh… wait. Those are rules that can just be turned on and off like a light switch, right? They only serve as a shield for Democrat corruption and aren’t applicable to anyone but corrupt liberals. Right?
Great advice. When will you be starting?
Oh. What crime committed by Trump was actually revealed?
Provide a sentence for perjury that was 9 years for anyone but a Republican. Go ahead.
@Nathan Blue: What the Democrats are afraid of is that Trump is tearing down decades of guiding this nation towards socialism and globalism.
@Greg:
“Yeah, you say peace. I kinda think you mean the other thing.”
Nick Fury
And understand you are the “anybody else”, junior.
Your entire platform is telling people what to think.
Trump has just commuted Roger Stone’s sentence.
Michael Cohen, however, is back in jail, as he is apparently ready to publicly tell all concerning his former boss, who personally ordered him to do everything that Cohen was convicted of.
If Trump weren’t President, Trump would presently be in prison. The only reason “the Feds” reversed their position on Stone’s sentence is because Trump and Barr have thoroughly corrupted the federal process.
Bullshit
@Greg: Stone committed no crimes. Another liberal kangaroo court tragedy.
@Deplorable Me, #46:
Roger Stone was found guilty by the unanimous votes of a jury of all seven felony charges on which he was indicted. There was one proven count of obstruction; five proven counts of knowingly and willingly making false statements under oath to investigators; and one proved count of witness tampering.
Stone’s defense team had previously exercised their legal right to disqualify potential jurors from the juror pool which they believed might be biased against their client. An impartial jury made no difference. After hearing all of the evidence and argument, they still came to a unanimous decision.
Stone committed each of these felonies on behalf of Donald Trump, the unnamed Head of the unnamed Organization 1 in Stone’s indictment—those names not being openly stated because the DoJ asserts that a sitting president cannot be charged with any statutory federal crimes.
Roger Stone is a CONVICTED CRIMINAL, who has just had his sentence commuted BY THE UNINDICTABLE PERSON ON WHOSE BEHALF THE CRIMES WERE COMMITTED.
What do people not understand about these simple, straightforward, inarguable FACTS?
@Greg: na-na nana na, da lil fish is scooped up and put back in the bowl.
Trump will be flushed in November, most likely taking the republican Senate majority down with him. Then all we’ll have to hear about him are his court dates. Perhaps the Republican Party will be reclaimed by those who actually care about the traditional Republican principles and values that Trump has led them to totally abandon, and they’ll participate in efforts to undo what one of the most openly corrupt administrations in modern history has done to the nation. That will be a truly monumental task.
The rantings of a truly mentally disturbed imbecile…