Roger Stone, the political consultant and longtime ally of US president Donald Trump, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison after being convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering.
Stone is an old friend and confidante of Trump, who describes himself as a “dirty trickster”.
The sentencing follows prosecutors initially recommending a term in prison of between seven and nine years.
But earlier this month, Department of Justice leadership took the unprecedented step of reversing the sentencing recommendation shortly after a 2 am Trump tweet complaining that it was “a horrible and very unfair situation” for Stone.
US district court judge Amy Berman Jackson said Stone’s crimes demanded a significant time behind bars but said the seven to nine years originally recommended by the Department of Justice were excessive.
Stone’s lawyers had asked for a sentence of probation, citing his age of 67 years, his health and his lack of criminal history.
“He was not prosecuted, as some have complained, for standing up for the president,” the judge said in her sentencing decision. “He was prosecuted for covering up for the president.”
Stone was found guilty in November of lying to congressional investigators about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He was convicted on all seven counts he was charged with, including obstructing an official proceeding and witness tampering.
Stone had previously bragged about his connection to WikiLeaks, the shady information hub that released a trove of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee. He later lied to Congress about his connection with WikiLeaks. Rick Gates, a former Trump campaign official, testified that he was in communication with Stone and believed the political operative had inside access to WikiLeaks.
On Tuesday, Trump called for the case against Stone to be thrown out entirely.
Over the course of five decades, Stone has cultivated a successful career in politics without ever becoming a politician.
Instead, he amassed power and influence as a behind-the-scenes lobbyist and consultant, playing the Washington game without ever being constrained by the rules that normally apply to those seeking office.