Despite a plea earlier last week to soften an "excessive" and "draconian" sentence, Terry Christensen received three years in federal prison for wiretapping his opponent in a child support case. U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer of the Central District of California said at Christensen's sentencing hearing that the attorney "showed disrespect for the system of the law on a grand scale" and "marred the legal profession." She went on to say that by eavesdropping onto conversations protected by attorney-client privilege, Christensen's behavior affected hundreds of people.
Fischer also referred to the U.S. Probation office's recommendation as "simply ludicrous. Home detention in an 8,000-square-foot home is not just punishment." Christensen has also been ordered to pay a $250,000 fine within 30 days.
Christensen remains free on bond, pending the appeal of his conviction.
Read the full NLJ story here, and see the WSJ Law Blog's collection of Christensen coverage.
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