The pre-sentencing report, which is said to be 1, 000 pages or more, paints two different pictures of the men's alleged motives, Debevoise added.

WSJ: Judge: NJ terror case sentencing will take days

Believe it or not, this looks good on a pre-sentencing report when the government is thinking of the best ways to rehabilitate a person.

FORBES: A Booming Part of Economy - Prison Consulting

After a conviction, the government prepares a pre-sentencing report based on those guidelines to determine a recommended range of months in prison for the jude to consider.

FORBES: How Much Prison Time? - There's an App For That

U.S. District Judge Richard Howell has asked for the Pre-Sentencing Report of Winifred Jiau, who was sentenced last week to 48 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff.

FORBES: Rajaratnam's Sentencing Judge, Richard Howell, Seeks Info To Guide Decision

The Pre-Sentencing Report is prepared by the government in advance of sentencing to brief the judge on its position as to the number of years it believes a person deserves in accordance with Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

FORBES: Rajaratnam's Sentencing Judge, Richard Howell, Seeks Info To Guide Decision