Nov 20, 2008 10:16 am US/Eastern
Larry Mendte Scheduled To Be Sentenced Monday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Former CBS 3 anchor Larry Mendte is scheduled to return to federal court Monday to be sentenced after pleading guilty in August to illegally accessing the email of his former co-anchor Alycia Lane.
There is new information in the federal case involving Mendte which was revealed in court documents made public late Wednesday for the first time.
Prosecutors in a pre-sentencing memorandum now indicate they will make no recommendation on what legal penalty Mendte should pay after pleading guilty to breaking into the private email accounts of Lane and reading her email.
Prosecutors say Mendte accessed Lane's email more than 3,000 times, describing it as " … a two-year long, underhanded assault on the privacy of a co-worker to satisfy the defendant's own morbid curiosity, and to destroy her reputation and her career."
According to the prosecution documents: "This case presents the Court with a difficult sentencing decision. The defendant is a man who has led a seemingly upright life and contributed much to his community. However, he had a secret obsession with, and fear of, a fellow employee that led him to break into her email accounts, read her most private matters, and lead them to the press - all in an effort to destroy her. Dr. Jekyll appeared nightly on television; however it is Mr. Hyde who appears before this Court to be sentenced."
Mendte's attorney in his memorandum -- asks for probation saying this was "… very sad federal criminal case. Sad because a very good person - about whom many people in the Delaware Valley relied and depended - made a serious and criminal mistake … for which he immediately and repeatedly has accepted full responsibility and displayed genuine remorse."
In addition to asking for probation, Mendte's attorney will also ask for a fine between $500-$5,000 and community service. Under sentencing guidelines, Mendte could face up to six months in jail.
The sentencing information, made public for the first time in the court documents, along with witness testimony, will be part of evidence presented to the judge. The judge will make the final decision on Mendte's fate during sentencing Monday.
READ: Mendte Sentencing Memorandum (PDF)
READ: Mendte Government's Sentencing Memo (PDF)
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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