Fact Check: "Prosecutors sought 10 years for marine, but he received only seven"
What We Know
The claim that "prosecutors sought 10 years for marine, but he received only seven" appears to be a misrepresentation of the facts surrounding the sentencing of different individuals associated with the Marine Corps.
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Michael Hamby Jr.: A former Marine, Michael Hamby Jr. was sentenced to 340 months (which is 28 years and 4 months) in prison for sexually assaulting a 3-year-old child. This sentence was issued by a federal court and reflects the serious nature of his crimes, which included enticement of a minor and other related offenses (source-1).
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Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Felix: In a separate case, a former Marine drill instructor named Joseph Felix was sentenced to 10 years in prison for maltreatment of recruits, including verbal and physical abuse. Prosecutors had requested a 7-year sentence, but the military jury decided on a longer term (source-2).
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Jamel Clayton: Additionally, a U.S. Marine named Jamel Clayton was sentenced to 7 years in a Japanese court for attempting to strangle and sexually assault a woman (source-6).
Analysis
The claim conflates different cases involving Marines and misrepresents the sentencing outcomes.
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Michael Hamby Jr. received a significantly longer sentence than what was claimed, which contradicts the assertion that a marine received only seven years when prosecutors sought ten. Hamby's case involved severe charges of child sexual abuse, leading to a sentence of over 28 years, which is far beyond the seven years mentioned in the claim.
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Joseph Felix, on the other hand, was indeed sentenced to 10 years, but this is a separate case and does not relate to the claim about a marine receiving only seven years. The jury's decision to impose a longer sentence than what prosecutors recommended indicates a serious view of his actions, which included targeting Muslim recruits for abuse.
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Jamel Clayton's case, while also involving a marine, does not pertain to the original claim about a 10-year sought sentence. His sentence of seven years for sexual assault in Japan is an entirely different context.
The sources used to substantiate these claims are credible, with official government announcements and reputable news outlets reporting on the cases. The analysis shows that the claim is misleading as it mixes different cases and outcomes without providing the necessary context.
Conclusion
Verdict: False
The claim that "prosecutors sought 10 years for marine, but he received only seven" is false. It misrepresents the sentencing outcomes of different individuals associated with the Marine Corps, particularly conflating the cases of Michael Hamby Jr., Joseph Felix, and Jamel Clayton. Hamby received a sentence of over 28 years, while Felix was sentenced to 10 years, and Clayton was sentenced to 7 years for unrelated charges.
