Judge gives Ressam new chance to cooperate

[NEWS] Ahmed Ressam's sentencing for his April 2001 conviction in a bombing plot had been delayed for years while he cooperated with investigators, providing information about al-Qaida. Sentencing was scheduled for yesterday, with a wide gap between the requests from defense (12.5 years) and prosecution (35 years). District Judge John Coughenour stressed that he would determine the sentence and that he would be influenced by cooperation -- would Ressam take another chance to cooperate? After consultation with his legal team, Ressam agreed to delay sentencing three more months. The Seattle Times: Local News: Judge gives Ressam new chance to cooperate.

Ressam's lead counsel is Thomas Hillier, of the Federal Public Defender and one of the instructors in the UW Trial Ad Program. Judge Coughenour teaches Advanced Trial Advocacy.

Categories: sentencing, judges,cooperation, Ressam, Coughenour, Hillier, UW