ST. LOUIS 鈥 Former County Executive Steve Stenger, who reported to prison last month to serve a 46-month prison sentence, is scheduled to be released after just 27 months, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
The prison system鈥檚 shows Stenger鈥檚 release date is Dec. 27, 2021.
Lawyers say the process by which prison officials calculate sentences is opaque and complicated. Officials declined to comment this week on questions about Stenger, citing privacy reasons. But they said inmates can shave up to 54 days a year off their sentence through 鈥済ood conduct,鈥 and can earn up to 12 months off by completing the intensive Residential Drug Abuse Program.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry had rejected defense lawyer Scott Rosenblum鈥檚 request for a recommendation to the program at Stenger鈥檚 sentencing hearing in August, saying that while there was evidence of alcohol use, there was no evidence of drug use.
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Prison say there has to be a 鈥渟ubstantiated diagnosis for a substance use disorder鈥 to be approved, which can include alcohol or drugs.
Rosenblum said Friday that Stenger鈥檚 participation in the program had been approved by prison officials based on information in a pre-sentence report. That report is not public.
When Dr. Sam Page took over for Stenger after his resignation, staff removed party lights and seven boxes of alcohol from Stenger鈥檚 old office. A letter to Perry sent by county council members before Stenger鈥檚 sentencing says that when Stenger bothered to show up in his office, he arrived late wearing shorts, a T-shirt and a baseball cap. He then spent much of his time playing video games before leaving early, the letter says.
Rosenblum said Stenger may be able to get even more time off under the , but the prison system is still working on making those charges.
He said Stenger would be released to a halfway house, where he would spend up to six months. Rosenblum said that the reductions are routine and available to any inmate who qualifies, and Stenger鈥檚 reductions appear to be assumed in the prison system鈥檚 calculation. If he does not behave in prison, or fails to complete the treatment program, his sentencing reductions would disappear.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith, who prosecuted Stenger, said Friday that, 鈥淲e had no knowledge of this. We were not consulted about this,鈥 after learning about the prison system鈥檚 calculation. Goldsmith said, 鈥淗e should serve the entire sentence.鈥
Council member Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 way too light for the crime he committed.鈥 He added that his constituents would probably feel the same way.
Fitch, a former St. 亚洲无码 County police chief, said Stenger did not just commit a property crime, he committed 鈥渁 crime against the taxpayers of the county.鈥
Fitch, who attended the sentencing hearing, said Stenger 鈥渃laimed he was an alcoholic, as all white-collar defendants do.鈥
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 unusual for Steve Stenger to be out until 2, 3, 4 in the morning,鈥 Fitch said, 鈥渟o maybe he is.鈥
Stenger is at a turned minimum security prison camp in Yankton, South Dakoka, about 600 miles from St. 亚洲无码.
Exterior of federal prison camp in Yankton, S. D. Photo via Google Earth
Stenger, a Democrat, was indicted in federal court in May and resigned then pleaded guilty to three counts of honest services fraud days later. He admitted a series of schemes to reward campaign donors with official actions. He was sentenced聽in August and fined $250,000. He had already paid $130,000 in restitution.
Goldsmith called Stenger鈥檚 criminal conduct 鈥渂reathtaking in its scope鈥 at the sentencing hearing, during which he said Stenger should get no break from the recommended guidelines of 37 to 46 months.
Stenger鈥檚 former chief of staff, Bill Miller, 54, was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Sheila Sweeney, the former chief executive of the St. 亚洲无码 Economic Development Partnership, got probation and a $20,000 fine.
Stenger donor John Rallo, 54, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 11 after he pleaded guilty to three charges of honest services fraud. He could face 21 to 27 months in prison.
Rallo admitted donating tens of thousands of dollars to Stenger after receiving a promise from Stenger that he would receive county business in return. He also recruited other donors and held Stenger fundraisers.
A Rallo company then received a 鈥渟ham鈥 $130,000 marketing contract in 2016. In 2017, Rallo and business partners were allowed to buy two county-owned industrial parks in Wellston for below their appraised price.