Criminal Justice
Ex-judge gets 6 months for lying to cover up prescription drug conspiracy
A former Tennessee criminal court judge who was convicted last year of lying to cover up a prescription drug conspiracy that involved some defendants in the court system has been sentenced to six months in federal prison.
Richard Baumgartner, 65, benefited from the Knox County scheme, which provided him with prescription drugs and sex. He expressed remorse at sentencing Wednesday and his lawyer asked for probation, the Associated Press reports.
Prosecutors had sought two years, citing the need to retry half-a-dozen defendants because of the judge’s conduct.
Baumgartner had been on the bench from 1992 until his resignation in 2011. In addition to presiding over numerous high-profile criminal trials, he also founded the county’s drug court.
