UPDATE 2: Kyle revises his prediction, says Thursday will probably be the day and speculates 10-1/2 years for Siegelman, 9 for Scrushy.
UPDATE: Kyle says a sentence could come down late tomorrow, but it’s more likely to be Friday morning.
But not sentences. Not yet anyway. Kyle reports:
After listening to a day and a half of arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys, U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller handed down his findings this afternoon as to where the defendants fall on the scale of federal sentencing guidelines. The federal sentencing guidelines are only advisory, and now prosecutors and defense attorneys will argue what sort of departure from the guidelines, if any, might be appropriate for the defendants.
Fuller says the guidelines for Siegelman indicate a sentence of 10 to 12-1/2 years (offense level 32) , with a fine ranging from $17,500 to $175,000. For Scrushy, the range is 8 to 10 years (offense level 30). In Siegelman’s case, this is far below the prosecution’s recommended level of 42 (see page 3 of the affidavit), which would have meant a 30-year sentence.
Now it’s up to the lawyers to argue for deviations from the recommendations.