Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Thornsbury sentencing delayed until April
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The sentencing of former Mingo County Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury has been pushed back by three months.
Michael Thornsbury was scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 13, but federal prosecutors asked last week for a 90-day delay. U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston agreed to their request, according to a court filing Monday.
Thornsbury's sentencing is now set for April 21.
Prosecutors sought the delay to given them more time to investigate information Thornsbury provided in a corruption probe.
The former judge pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to deprive a drug suspect of his constitutional rights to thwart an investigation into the county's sheriff.
In the request for a delay, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Ruby said Thornsbury "is cooperating with the United States and has provided information about activities that the United States is now investigating."
In their motion, prosecutors said they want Thornsbury available for meetings, and that would be more difficult if he were in prison.
Depending on the value of the information Thornsbury provides federal prosecutors, he could become eligible for a lighter sentence, according to the motion.
Thornsbury, 57, of Williamson, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when Johnston sentences him. He remains free on $10,000 bail.
Thornsbury, who had served as the county's only circuit judge since 1997, resigned as part of his plea deal with prosecutors.
According to the federal charge against Thornsbury, late Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum -- described in the charge as "a close associate and political ally" of Thornsbury -- bought several thousand dollars' worth of signs and other promotional campaign items on credit from George White's sign shop in Delbarton.
After Crum was elected sheriff, instead of paying his $3,000 bill, he allegedly sent an undercover police officer to buy oxycodone tablets from George White.
After White's arrest, federal investigators approached his lawyer, former Williamson Mayor Charles "Butch" West, and asked to talk to White about allegations that he provided drugs to Crum. White told FBI agents that, on "multiple occasions prior to his arrest, he unlawfully provided Crum with prescription narcotic pills at Crum's request," prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors said Crum soon learned what White had told FBI agents and that a meeting was arranged with White's brother. Prosecutors said Mingo County Commissioner David Baisden, Prosecuting Attorney Michael Sparks and Crum devised a scheme to get White to switch attorneys, in exchange for a lighter sentence from Thornsbury.
Senior Status Circuit Judge John Cummings vacated White's conviction earlier this month.
If U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston approves Thornsbury's plea agreement, prosecutors will dismiss charges that Thornsbury violated the constitutional rights of his former secretary's husband by trying to land him in jail on trumped-up charges.
In Thursday's motion, federal prosecutors also said they want Thornsbury available for meetings, stating that if he were in prison it would make setting up meetings with him more difficult
its going to be interesting to see what further corruption charges are gleaned out of judge thornsbury.............and prosecutor sparks.
ReplyDeleteboth are singing like songbirds in order to get minimum sentences.
the federal hammer should soon start falling in mingo county and more heads should be rolling very soon.
lets hope booth goodwin and the federal boys soon make their way on over to the dark forest in our county to start cleaning up some of the corruption.
its time for a spring cleaning in the loco poco forest.
Friday, April 11, 2014 Thornsbury sentencing delayed again 0 0 CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The sentencing of a former Mingo County Circuit judge on a federal charge has been delayed until June.U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston this week moved the sentencing of Michael Thornsbury from April 21 to June 9. The delay was “for reasons appearing to the Court,” according to Johnston’s order.In October, Thornsbury pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to deny a man of his constitutional rights. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison.This is the second time Thornsbury’s sentencing has been pushed back. In December, prosecutors asked Johnston to delay Thornsbury’s sentencing so they could further investigate information Thornsbury provided in a corruption probe. The information could make the ex-judge eligible for a lighter sentence, prosecutors previously wrote in court documents.Thornsbury, who had served as the county’s only circuit judge since 1997, resigned as part of his plea deal with prosecutors. He admitted he went along with a plot to protect the county’s former sheriff, Eugene Crum, from a man who was telling FBI agents he had sold drugs to Crum.If Johnston approves Thornsbury’s plea agreement, prosecutors will dismiss another federal charge against Thornsbury in an unrelated matter. Prosecutors allege that Thornsbury violated the constitutional rights of his former secretary’s husband by trying to land him in jail on trumped-up charges so the judge could be in a relationship with his secretary. -
ReplyDeleteSee more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140411/GZ01/140419824/1123#sthash.D03042ol.dpuf