> “Judge Norris said he was giving Sonderman the maximum sentenced allowed by law under the statute — 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, but implied that his sentence would be far harsher if the law permitted.”

Sadly, it appears the judge’s hands were tied.

The problem a penal system should be trying to solve is to turn someone who's a threat to society into someone who is not. I know that in the US it fails on many levels. However, it doesn't mean that the law should stick to the rigid framework of minimal sentences in cases like that.

Cold blooded murderers have gotten away with much less, people with an amount of weed that can easily dissapear in the coin pocket of your jeans have gotten much more.

Pretty sure one of the CA gubernatorial contenders outright ran over somebody in their car, killing them, and never saw a day in a cell. Money means just about everything w/regards to crime in the U.S.