en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Edwin_Pitts
1 correction found
On June 27, 1997, Earl Pitts was sentenced by a federal judge to 27 years in prison.
Pitts was sentenced on June 23, 1997, not June 27, 1997.
Full reasoning
Multiple reliable sources place Earl Pitts's sentencing on June 23, 1997. The FBI's own history page on the case says that after pleading guilty, Pitts "was sentenced to 27 years in prison" on June 23, 1997. A federal appellate opinion in United States v. Pitts likewise states: "On June 23, 1997, the district court sentenced Pitts to concurrent terms of 324 months imprisonment." Contemporary coverage from The Washington Post published on June 24, 1997 also reports that Pitts was sentenced "yesterday," which again places the sentencing on June 23. So the article's date of June 27, 1997 is incorrect.
3 sources
- United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Earl Edwin Pitts, Defendant-appellant, 176 F.3d 239 (4th Cir. 1999)
On June 23, 1997, the district court sentenced Pitts to concurrent terms of 324 months imprisonment to be followed by a five-year period of supervised release...
- Earl Pitts Chair — FBI
Pitts’ case never went to trial. In January 1997, he pleaded guilty to espionage, and on June 23, 1997, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
- Ex-FBI Agent Gets 27 Years for Passing Secrets to Moscow - The Washington Post
June 24, 1997 ... Former FBI agent Earl Edwin Pitts was sentenced to 27 years in prison yesterday...