Courtney Stadd will not have to serve any time in prison:
A former top NASA official was sentenced Friday to three years probation, six months of electronic monitoring and a $2,500 fine for steering contract money to a private client.
…The courtroom was nearly filled with dozens of Stadd’s supporters, many of whom wrote the judge attesting to his good character.
…”The government called this corrupt and a lack of integrity,” Collyer said. “I think it was a closer call than that.
“The jury found that whatever the lack of clarity in ethics briefings, it does not excuse his actions,” she said.
After Stadd told the judge he and his family have been devastated by the case, Collyer said that prison time was not needed to protect the public. However, she said, the sentence she imposed would “send a message to other government employees” to conduct themselves with the highest ethical standards.
Sounds like a sensible judge. Good for Courtney and his family. And it remains galling that no one from the Justice Department seems to be investigating Charlie Rangel.
If it weren’t for recent bad experiences relating to Independent Prosecutors, I would propose that each Congress appoint a Special Investigator to monitor the ethics of the following Congress. This would be a well paid position with a terms limit of 1.
That’s one small slap on the wrist for Courtney, and one giant slap in the face for the prosecutors. The judge was making her statement on the validity of the case.
Unfortunately, the trial is in itself punishment.
Courtney was screwed. By this, I mean, that the bringing of the case in and of itself was a farce.
IMHO of course.
So, justice was NOT served. For justice, in this case, would have been for the case to have never begun at all.