Likewise, Mr Fastow, the government's star witness, accepted a ten-year jail sentence under a plea bargain.

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The sentence was the result of a plea bargain between lawyers for Mark Bassely Youssef and federal prosecutors.

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The founders might have accepted a plea bargain to avoid a lengthy jail sentence.

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As part of her plea bargain, prosecutors originally recommended a sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison.

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After a plea bargain he served a 17-month sentence.

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Anders Hoegstroem, a former neo-Nazi leader, admitted theft under a plea bargain last month and will be moved to Sweden to serve his sentence.

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On Wednesday, District Attorney Sherry Caloia said Bebb-Jones had made a plea bargain, admitting murder in the second degree in exchange for a sentence of no more than 20 years.

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This week, as Enron's former finance chief, Andrew Fastow, and his wife, Lea, struck a plea bargain with prosecutors that will see Mr Fastow get a ten-year sentence, there were stirrings of sympathy for the couple.

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Hours earlier, Roth had accepted a plea bargain in the fake-drowning case that included a 90-day jail sentence.

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After a plea-bargain, the men were sentenced last month to just 16 months in jail, avoiding a potential life sentence.

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