Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.
John Thomas (JT) Burnette has finally learned his fate after being found guilty on five counts involving public corruption, in the United States District Court. On Tuesday, Nov. 9, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle passed down a sentence of 36 months in prison for the Tallahassee business man. In addition, Burnette was ordered to pay fines totaling $1,250,500 and restitution in the amount of $20,000 “jointly and severally with co-defendants.” Burnette was found guilty on five charges, including racketeering, frauds and swindles, extortion and interference with commerce by threat or violence. The three-year sentence was below the guideline range of 41-51 months.
Burnette's sentence is to run concurrently. Once Burnette has completed his term of imprisonment, he will spend one year of supervised release.“The effects of my actions are far-reaching,” Burnette is quoted as saying in the Tallahassee Democrat. “There are no words to describe how sorry I am for the damages I have caused. For this, I am sorry.”“What I'd really like is to announce a sentence of 20 years,” Hinkle is quoted as saying. “It's a very serious offense. Bribery undermines faith in the system and the government. It calls into question not just projects that the defendant has been involved in but projects that others have been involved in. It's part of the harm that's caused by this activity.” Burnette was ordered to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons by the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. It is reported that Burnette will likely be assigned to a minimum security prison camp.
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