Cynthia Alksne Slams Manafort Sentence: ‘Completely Inappropriate,’ ‘Judge Ellis Has Done a Very Bad Thing’

RUSH EXCERPT:

ALKSNE: “ Two things. One, it shows the disparity between white-collar crime and street crimes, but more than that, it shows that this judge has gone too far. He sees a white guy that could easily be at his country club or restaurant and he feels sympathy, because he’s like him on some level. He gave him a pass. It’s completely inappropriate. This is why we have sentencing guidelines. Even if you look down from your lofty perch and see somebody who looks like you, IFS criminal conduct — rises to a certainly level, you’re supposed to sentence him that way. He didn’t do it. Frankly the guidelines should be mandatory, so everybody who gets does the same conduct gets the same sentence. Judge Ellis has done a very bad thing. There’s no excusing it on any level.”