NATION : No Jail Time for 2nd Fund-Raiser Sentenced in Iran-Contra Scandal
Carl (Spitz) Channell, a conservative fund-raiser and the first person convicted in the Iran-Contra scandal, was sentenced today to two years of probation for conspiring to defraud the government.
The lack of any prison time for Channell, who testified against Oliver L. North, means that none of the four men convicted so far in the worst scandal of the Ronald Reagan Administration has been ordered behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Stanley Harris said he was certain Channell would not repeat his offense and added that sentencing was “very difficult” because Channell was “one who so firmly believes in furthering the aim of the country.”
Channell pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to defraud the government by soliciting tax-deductible donations for purposes that were not properly deductible--weapons for the Contras. Channell and Richard Miller, who was sentenced Thursday by Harris to two years of probation and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service, helped collect about $10 million for the Contras.
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