Protestant Pastor gets year prison for shark smuggling

[sanctus]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A San Francisco-area pastor who pleaded guilty to helping smuggle young leopard sharks from California to aquariums in Europe and the United States has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.
Kevin Thompson, 48, a Unification Church pastor in San Leandro, was one of six men charged with harvesting thousands of sharks smaller than 36 inches, which are protected by law. The five others have also pleaded guilty.
In the sentencing, which took place on Monday, Thompson was also ordered to pay restitution of $100,000.
According to the indictment, about 465 leopard sharks were sold to pet distributors in the United States, the Netherlands and Britain. Leopard sharks can grow up to about 6 feet (1.83 metres).


Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited.

 

[hermanntrude]

damn those protestants

 

[sanctus]

damn those protestants

Ohhhh, the comments that come to mind....never mind Sanctus..better be good--we live in an ecumenical environment these days! hah hah hah

 

[karrie]

...... has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

thank goodness they didn't give him a light sentence like one year. That extra day makes all the difference. Now he'll REALLY be sorry.

 

[DurkaDurka]

thank goodness they didn't give him a light sentence like one year. That extra day makes all the difference. Now he'll REALLY be sorry.

I though the extra day meant they end up in the big house, not a county jail? Like in Canada 2 years + a day means you got to the fed prison I believe?

 

[#juan]

thank goodness they didn't give him a light sentence like one year. That extra day makes all the difference. Now he'll REALLY be sorry.

That one day makes a lot of difference. I believe that sentences between one and two years are not subject to "time off for good behavior". Some judges will give two years less a day for the same reason. A one year sentence could have been a third of that with time off. We'll have to ask I Think Not

 

[karrie]

I'll look forward to finding out what the actual significance is. Either way, it makes sense....one extra day, harsher terms.