Judge Rebuffs Prosecutors, Sentences Weeping Ex-Greenberg Lobbyist for 'Cog in the Wheel' Role
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has sentenced former Greenberg Traurig partner and lobbyist Kevin Ring to 20 months in prison, far less than the sentence of up to 22 years previously pushed by prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle sentenced Ring on Wednesday for his bribery conviction in the Jack Abramoff scandal, report the National Law Journal (reg. req.) and the Washington Post. Huvelle said Ring was “a cog in the wheel” and deserved a sentence that was lower than that given to major players such as Abramoff, the Post says.
Ring cried and asked for mercy during the emotional hearing, the Post says. Defense lawyers argued he had already paid the price for his misconduct: He and his wife were separated, and he owed $1.5 million in legal fees. Ring told the court he was “ashamed and embarrassed to be here under these circumstances.”
Ring is a law school grad who wrote a book on the opinions of Justice Antonin Scalia.
