Six-Day Sentence Sought For Former D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown

Prosecutors are seeking a six-day prison sentence for former D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown.

Brown pleaded guilty in June to federal bank fraud and a misdemeanor campaign finance violation after misstating his income by tens of thousands of dollars on loan applications. His plea agreement called for a sentence of up to six months.

In the memo, Prosecutors write that Brown's crime is serious, and "the defendant did not commit bank fraud to feed his family, pay a medical bill, or give money to the poor. He did this so he could own a 39-foot, 330-horsepower boat, a luxury few people can afford."

But prosecutors also say Brown deserves credit for accepting responsibility and for cooperating with law enforcement in the ongoing investigations of D.C. government corruption.

Prosecutors filed a sentencing memorandum Friday requesting the six-day sentence, to be served on the weekends, followed by three years of supervised release. Brown's attorneys are trying to bargain that down to no jail time followed by just two years of supervised release.

Brown's attorney, Fred Cooke, writes that Brown should not serve any time in jail, arguing that the former council member is a non-violent, first-time offender who has suffered public humiliation, lost his job, and cooperated fully with prosecutors.

Included in the filing is personal letter from Brown apologizing to the judge. He writes that, "as personally painful as my admission of wrongdoing has been, it may be a lesson to others that none of us is above the rules."