Appeals court cuts sentence of former U.S. diplomat to Guyana

Thursday, October 9, 2003

CHICAGO, IL: A former U.S. diplomat to Guyana, who admitted taking payoffs in return for issuing hundreds of U.S. visas, had his 21-year sentence cut to seven years and three months by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to AP. Mr. Thomas P. Carroll, 35, a vice-counsel at the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, was arrested in March 2000. Federal prosecutors say he sold up to 800 visas for entry into the United States for bribes of between US$10,000 and US$15,000 each.

But the Appeals Court said the sentence was too tough and ordered it reduced sharply. "This court is at a loss to discern the reasonableness of such a draconian increase in Carroll's prison term" unless there are facts that it is unaware of, Judge William J. Bauer said in his 15-page opinion, according to AP. 

Mr. Carroll, a vice-counsel at the U.S. Embassy in Guyana when arrested in March 2000, sold up to 800 visas for entry into the United States for bribes of between $10,000 and $15,000 each, federal prosecutors say.

U.S. District Judge Blanche M. Manning in June, 2002, sentenced Mr. Caroll to 262 months after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, issuing false visa documents and bribing an official.

But the appeals court told Judge Manning to take the case back and impose a sentence of no more than seven years and three months.

Mr. Steven Shobat, one of Mr. Carroll's attorneys, was quoted as saying, "We're just pleased; we believe it's the correct result." 

But Mr. Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, declined to comment on the appeals court's decision.

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