Langford walks free.

Why is that ?

I think all 3 of them should be behind bars. Perhaps letting Buckelew out after 18 months if she reimburses us for the cost of imprisoning her.

After the sentence yesterday, I predicted to a colleague that a lot of people would draw the same conclusion you've reached, but my colleague and I agreed it was the wrong conclusion. An understandable conclusion, but wrong.

The disparity between the sentence Buckelew received and the sentence Langford will likely receive (best guesses are between 15 and 25 years) has little to do with race and much to do with the judge.

The most discouraging thing I've taken away from covering federal courts is how arbitrary sentencing can be. If you're a defendant, the sentence you face depends almost completely on which judge you draw.

There are some judges who don't seem to believe that public corruption and white collar crime should be against the law. I'd put U.S. District Judge Inge Johnson in that camp. During the sentencing, she went so far as to say that the shoes, handbag and spa trip were of little concern to her.

Other judges, including U.S. District Judges Virginia Hopkins and Scott Coogler (who Langford drew) tend to sentence on the high side of the scale.

The federal judicial system has sentencing guidelines, but those guidelines are only advisory. Instead, the sentences judges hand down are often arbitrary. Ultimately, it's a matter of chance, not justice.

Even after hearing the pleas of her family, colleagues and friends, I thought Buckelew should have gotten at the very least home detention. Confine her, but spare the taxpayers the cost. Instead, Judge Johnson insisted that “probation is a punishment.”

Ultimately, the truth doesn't matter, only perception. To the outside world, it appears that a white person who pleads guilty to a crime has a better shot than a black person who fights his charges.

While pronouncing Buckelew's sentence, Johnson said she thought it was severe enough to instill in others respect for the law. Most people I've talked to in the last 24 hours believe that to be a joke. Johnson has undercut respect for the law, not enhanced it.