Legal News

Christensen to prosecutors: let's not bicker and argue over who tapped who ...

By Richard Binder

Terry Christensen, the lone lawyer who was convicted this summer in a high-profile wiretapping case, said the federal government's sentencing recommendation of three years in prison and a $500,000 fine is "excessive," especially given the legal community's attention to this case, according to documents filed this week.

"There is no need to impose a draconian sentence to get the lawyers' attention when they are already keenly aware of the pitfalls that await the attorney who gives an investigator a free hand," wrote Christensen's lawyers. "The government's recommended sentence is not necessary to maintain the deterrence that already exists."

In their sentencing memo, filed last week, prosecutors called Christensen's acts "brazen efforts to corrupt and subvert the legal system." They also argue that, as an attorney, Christensen held a higher level position of trust that requires prison time. In his response, Christensen's lawyers hypothesize that the government's recommended sentence is an attempt to make up for the lack of other attorneys indicted in their case.

Read the full NLJ article.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on November 19, 2008 (boomark / email).