U.S. District Court Judge Kent Sentenced to 33 months
United States District Court Judge Samuel Kent of Galveston, Texas, 59, was sentenced to 33 months in prison this morning in Houston by Senior District Court Judge Roger Vinson of Pensacola, Florida for obstructing an inquiry into whether he had sexually harassed employees of the United States District Court reports the Houston Chronicle. A copy of the Factual Basis for Kent’s guilty plea is here.
Two of the victims of Kent’s sexual exploits, a former secretary and former case manager, testified at the sentencing hearing. The government sought a sentence of 36 months. The Chronicle reports that in imposing sentence, Vinson said, “Everyone stands equal in this Court, and former judges are no exception.” Vinson had it right except for the “former judges” comment because showing a startling lack of class and poor judgment, a separate drama is playing out regarding whether Kent will be allowed to retire and continue to draw his salary of $174,000 per year. He has drawn about $36,000 in salary since his guilty plea. Kent has asked the Fifth Circuit to allow him to retire early, so that he can continue to keep getting his pay for life. Kent will continue to draw his pay, even though he is a convicted felon, until he retires, or is impeached. Although I don’t have much confidence in this situation, let’s hope Congress acts quickly to impeach Kent.
