Media Coverage
Source: Law360, Talanei.net
Media Coverage
06.26.15
A California federal judge last week sentenced Pillsbury client Evelyn Langford to 22 months in prison – significantly less than the 46-57 months prescribed by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines – for taking a bribe while serving as the director of American Samoa’s Department of Human Resources.
As mitigating factors in her sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John Tigar pointed to Langford’s service to her family and her community, data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission showing that the majority of bribery sentences imposed nationally are substantially lower than the Guidelines’ prescriptions, as well as trauma Langford suffered in the wake of the 2009 tsunami that struck American Samoa and other significant hardships in her life. Litigation partner Marc Axelbaum and Litigation counsel Lindsay Lutz, who represent Langford, told the court Langford had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Axelbaum and Lutz believe that, after considering all the relevant factors, the Court imposed a fair and just sentence.
Click here to read Law360's coverage of the sentencing (subscription required).