From the New York Times
Former Connecticut Governor Sentenced to Year in Prison
By WILLIAM YARDLEY and STACEY STOWE
3/18/05
EW HAVEN, March 18 - Former Gov. John G. Rowland of Connecticut was sentenced
today to a year and a day in prison, a punishment ordered after the fallen Republican
star pleaded guilty in December to a felony conspiracy charge involving his
acceptance of $107,000 in gifts that he did not pay taxes on.
Mr. Rowland, 47, who resigned July 1 amid a federal investigation and an impeachment
inquiry, had spent much of last year denying that he had abused his powers as
governor.
Today, however, he apologized and told Judge Peter C. Dorsey of United States
District Court that "as I look back over the years, I see that I had lost
sight of my ethical judgment."
"I want my family to know and I want the people of the state of Connecticut
to know that I am sorry, and I ask for their forgiveness," he said.
Whether Mr. Rowland's words affected the judge was unclear, but the sentence
fell below the 15-to-21-month prison sentence that federal guidelines recommend
for the former governor's crime and well below the revised request prosecutors
made Thursday in which they asked for at least a 30-month sentence.
In asking for that sentence, the prosecutors said Mr. Rowland had deceived a
probation officer about his financial condition and continued what they called
his "arrogant" behavior since leaving office.
Judge Dorsey said his sentence was less than the 15 months because of the governor's
"public service." He said Mr. Rowland's responsiveness to citizens
went beyond that of other politicians.
By receiving a sentence of one year and a day, Mr. Rowland will be eligible
for release after serving 87% of his sentence. Had he been sentenced to one
year, he would have been obligated to serve the entire year under federal law.
Mr. Rowland will voluntarily surrender and enter prison at noon on April 1.
After he completes his prison sentence, he will be on supervised release for
three years, including four months of home confinement.
He must also commit to three hours a week of community service for two years
following home confinement.
Mr. Rowland was ordered to pay a restitution of $72,000. This represents the
"after tax" amount he admitted to receiving in benefits from state
contractors and is to be paid within six months. He was also ordered to pay
a $10,000 fine within six months and $35,000 in back taxes.
Mr. Rowland's lawyer, William F. Dow, said it was a "fair" sentence
and added, "I'm pleased we had a judge as wise and sensitive and responsive
as Judge Dorsey."
Prosecutors would not say whether they would appeal the sentence. A spokesman
for the United States Attorney's Office said that with good behavior, Mr. Rowland
could serve just over 10 months.
Judge Dorsey said he would recommend that Mr. Rowland serve his time at a prison
camp in Fort Devins, Mass., the closest facility to the former governor's home
in West Hartford, Conn.
Mr. Rowland was accompanied today by his wife, Patricia, his three children
from his first marriage, his mother and his brother.
In entering his plea in December, Mr. Rowland acknowledged that he had accepted
free vacations in Florida and Vermont and renovation on his cottage in Litchfield,
mostly arranged and paid for by William A. Tomasso, a contractor who made millions
in state business. He also admitted consenting to or tacitly approving state
contracts that helped Mr. Tomasso.
Mr. Rowland was elected to the legislature in 1980, when he was 23, and became
the youngest member of Congress four years later.
In 1994, he was elected governor, the first Republican in 30 years to hold the
office in heavily Democratic Connecticut. At 37, he was the nation's youngest
governor.
He won re-election in 1998 and again by a landslide in 2002, despite the questions
surrounding his administration.