This is courtroom audio of Judge Ronald Buckwalter announcing his controversial sentence for former state Senator Vince Fumo. The sentence was far below the federal sentencing guidelines of 11-14 years in prison. Buckwalter said that because of Fumo’s good character he would “grant a departure from the guidelines.” Buckwalter said directly to Fumo in the courtroom “In my opinion, you were a serious public servant. you worked hard for the public.” The judge says he came to this conclusion after reading hundreds of letters that were supportive of Fumo.

The segment is about 27 minutes. I’ve broken it up into three parts to fit nicely on YouTube.