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United States v. Bergman
United States District Court (1976)
Plaintiff: United State Government
Defendant: Frankel, J. ; The defendant was a popular man who was respected in the society. The defendant owned nursing homes and he was accused of making fraudulent claims for Medicaid funds. The defendant pled guilty to the charges.
Issue: 1. Should the defendant be given speical treatmet considering his history, reputation, and age? 2. Should the defendant be set free and not be sentenced to any time in jail?
Holding: 1. Yes 2. No
Key Facts: -The court received many letters from community members suggesting the good and giving nature of the defendant. -The defense attorney tried to make the argument that the sufferings to the defendant caused by his arrest were enough of punishment he deserved, but court ruled that personal sufferings can not be considered as part of judicial punishment.
Legal Reasoning: The court decided that punishing the defendant with the goal of rehabilitation and deterrence to the defendant would not work because the defendant did not need rehabilitation and it was very unlikely for the defendant to repeat his crimes considering his age and his past history. But the court decided that setting the defendant free would depreciate the severity of the crime that the defendant committed. So the judge sentenced the defendant for 4 months of jail time for the purposes of general deterrance in mind. The court felt that this decision would deter others from committing the crime that the defendant committed in this case.