A federal judge in New York City imposed a much lighter sentence than called for in sentencing guidelines on a business executive convicted of conspiracy and securities fraud, saying to rule otherwise would be a “travesty of justice,” reports the New York Law Journal. Judge Jed Rakoff sentenced Richard Adelson, who headed cancer diagnosis company Impath Inc., to 42 months in prison, rather than 85 years as prosecutors wanted. He also ordered $50 million in restitution.
In a memo defending the sentence in light of a federal appeal, Rakoff said, “This is one of those cases in which calculations under the Sentencing Guidelines lead to a result so patently unreasonable as to require the Court to place greater emphasis on other sentencing factors.” The judge said the government’s position was based on the amount of actual or intended financial loss, which the government calculated at no less than $260 million. Rakoff disagreed, taking into account Adelson’s late arrival to the conspiracy and deciding upon a loss of $59 million.