A federal appeals court on Monday vacated a 30-day prison sentence for a neighbor of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who assaulted him in 2017, ruling it was overly lenient and ordering a resentencing.
In a 16-page opinion, Judge Jane B. Stranch of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, writes that the lower court where Rene Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress had “no compelling justification” for sentencing him far below federal guidelines.
“Federal defendants with a criminal history category of I [the lowest possible level] who were convicted of assault received an average sentence of 26 months’ imprisonment and a median sentence of 21 months,” the ruling states, citing data. “We therefore VACATE Boucher’s sentence and REMAND for resentencing.”
Newly Released FBI Records Show Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks Had Biden Material on His Device
Breaking: FAA Issues Ground Stop at All Airports ‘Due to Extraordinary Circumstance’
Push for new Democratic leadership overshadows celebrations at Denver confab
Tanker slams into docked New Orleans river cruiser carrying 129 passengers, sparking rescue
Rep Lauren Boebert projected to lose House seat in another Democratic flip
Former CIA Director John Brennan’s son arrested after FBI uncovers dozens of alleged child porn images
Chris Van Hollen rules out 2028 run to focus on ousting Chuck Schumer as Senate leader
Animal rights activist attacks NYC horse carriage driver with skateboard during tirade, union says
Mossad Director Meets with US Officials in DC as Trump Resists Netanyahu’s Calls to Reignite Iran War: Report
‘Traitor!’: Jeffries gets rude awakening at Democratic convention as heckler erupts
Justice Samuel Alito Warns Congressional Democrats Have the Ability to ‘Turn Off the Lights’ for the Supreme Court
Schumer’s former ally mounts leadership challenge as Democrats face rare internal power struggle
Undercover Israeli agents will testify in Louisiana against alleged Oct. 7 terrorist: Judge
Alaska is still counting votes more than a week after Election Day: What to know
Trump’s spy chiefs put Republican leaders on the clock over ‘huge priority’ as power shift looms over Congress
The opinion offers examples of other 30-day sentences for assaulting members of Congress and notes that the damage paled in comparison to that of Boucher, who broke five of Paul’s ribs and caused injuries that later required part of Paul’s lung to be removed.
For example, in 1981, two defendants were each sentenced to 30 days for throwing eggs at a congressman without hitting him, while a third defendant was sentenced to 15 days for spitting on a senator at an airport, writes Stranch, an Obama appointee.
“These prison terms were similar to Boucher’s, but the offense conduct was quite different—as the Government argues, ‘it is difficult to understand why a tackle resulting in long-term serious injuries warrants the same sentence as an egg toss or spit in the face,’” the ruling states.
Newly Released FBI Records Show Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks Had Biden Material on His Device
Breaking: FAA Issues Ground Stop at All Airports ‘Due to Extraordinary Circumstance’
Push for new Democratic leadership overshadows celebrations at Denver confab
Tanker slams into docked New Orleans river cruiser carrying 129 passengers, sparking rescue
Rep Lauren Boebert projected to lose House seat in another Democratic flip
Former CIA Director John Brennan’s son arrested after FBI uncovers dozens of alleged child porn images
Chris Van Hollen rules out 2028 run to focus on ousting Chuck Schumer as Senate leader
Animal rights activist attacks NYC horse carriage driver with skateboard during tirade, union says
Mossad Director Meets with US Officials in DC as Trump Resists Netanyahu’s Calls to Reignite Iran War: Report
‘Traitor!’: Jeffries gets rude awakening at Democratic convention as heckler erupts
Justice Samuel Alito Warns Congressional Democrats Have the Ability to ‘Turn Off the Lights’ for the Supreme Court
Schumer’s former ally mounts leadership challenge as Democrats face rare internal power struggle
Undercover Israeli agents will testify in Louisiana against alleged Oct. 7 terrorist: Judge
Alaska is still counting votes more than a week after Election Day: What to know
Trump’s spy chiefs put Republican leaders on the clock over ‘huge priority’ as power shift looms over Congress
However, the ruling adds that “while that is true, those three cases occurred roughly 40 years ago, before the Sentencing Commission or the Guidelines even existed. Their age and limited number make them less helpful to our analysis.”
More recent cases involving assaults on federal officers involve significantly longer sentences, such as a 2015 sentence of 24 months for a defendant who pushed a door into the arm of a government doctor and a 2014 case in which the defendant was given 21 months for bloodying a customs officer’s nose and ear.
Story cited here.
