Roger Stone: Ally of Donald Trump sentenced to 40 months in prison
The longtime confidant of Donald Trump was convicted in November as a result of the Mueller investigation.
Thursday 20 February 2020 18:56, UK
Roger Stone, an ally of Donald Trump, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for witness tampering and lying to Congress.
It also relates to him obstructing the US House of Representatives intelligence committee after giving false information to those investigating whether Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.
The sentencing on Thursday came after Stone's lawyer had asked that the 67-year-old not be given a prison term, citing his age, health status and the lack of a previous criminal record.
But US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the conviction warranted a significant time in jail, and handed over the more than 3-year sentence.
This was a reduction on the 7-9 years jail time that was initially recommended by attorney general William Barr, which Judge Jackson said would be excessive.
The case, which has been criticised by Mr Trump as a "miscarriage of justice", has caused a shakeup among those inside the US Justice Department.
Some have suggested the interest in the case from the president has amounted to interference, while four prosecutors quit after Mr Barr withdrew his recommendation for the lengthy sentence.
On Thursday, Judge Jackson made clear that Stone was not convicted for his political affiliations - something he has maintained.
She said: "He was not prosecuted, as some have claimed, for standing up for the president. He was prosecuted for covering up for the president."
The longtime confidant of Mr Trump was found guilty back in November for seven counts of the indictment related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
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He is the sixth person to be convicted as a result of the investigation.
A long-time Republican operative, Stone, who was an adviser to Mr Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign, has denied any wrongdoing.
He did not react upon hearing his sentence, and got into a black SUV without speaking to reporters as he left the courthouse in Washington DC.