Mon, Jun 27, 2005
Not A Joking Matter
Gay Wilson was sentenced
to five years in federal prison Friday for writing a bomb note and
interfering with a flight crew. US District Court Judge Todd J.
Campbell declined her request to withdraw from the plea agreement
that Wilson had accepted in March.
Campbell sentenced her to five years in prison, and two years of
supervised release. Wilson is not allowed to fly on an airplane
during that time. Family members of Wilson reportedly said the
sentence was too harsh, that the note was a joke and was not meant
to cause any harm.
"The sentencing should have been much lighter," said Chiquita
Wallace, Wilson's niece, to the AP. She said Wilson had no criminal
record and had been an upstanding citizen. "The truth never really
came out."
Wilson has been serving time in Kentucky since the event on May
27, 2004. Although it's not clear where she'll serve out her time,
at least she'll get credit for time served already, according to US
Assistant District Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy.
Wilson claimed she found a bomb note
in the bathroom while traveling on an American Airlines flight from
Dallas to Boston. The note read: "There is a bomb on board this flt
(sic) to Boston in cargo. Live Sadaam (sic)!"
Flight attendants testified Friday that Wilson came out of the
airplane lavatory and gave them the note. But they never suspected
she wrote it.
"It was like a stab through the heart," said Kathy Glauser, one
of the flight attendants who testified, when describing her
reaction to learning Wilson wrote the note.
Two fighter jets escorted the plane to Nashville International
Airport, where it was evacuated and searched.
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