Prominent politicians are not above the law and should be penalized for wrongdoings.
That message was sent this week in Arizona when Federal District Court Judge Roger G. Strand sentenced former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington to two and a half years in prison for fraud. In addition, Symington was sentenced to 500 hours of community service and fined $60,000.It was the culmination of a five-year investigation that was followed by a 14-week trial. Symington was convicted on seven felony counts of providing false financial statements to lenders to get loans and gain concessions for his shaky real estate empire during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Symington, a 52-year-old Republican, was forced to resign after six years in office after his conviction last September.
Prosecutors sought a 10-year prison term, and a probation officer recommended that Symington serve 61/2 to 8 years and pay $15.8 million in restitution, due in large part to his lack of remorse. Symington refused to acknowledge any criminal misconduct. Throughout the ordeal he maintained his innocence, charging that a six-year investigation of his finances was politically motivated. According to press reports, he didn't apologize for giving false financial statements to his lenders, who wound up losing $23 million.
The judge opted for a lighter sentence because he felt a large portion of the losses was caused by a depression in the Phoenix real estate market and not just because of Symington's misdeeds. He is to report to a minimum-security work camp on March 20 to begin his sentence.
As the prosecution noted, Symington's status as governor played no part in the way it handled the case. He was treated like any other defendant. That's the way it should be.