Former Probation Head Sentenced To Serve Less Time Than Federal Guidelines Maximum

A federal judge has sent former state Probation Commissioner John O'Brien to a year-and-a-half in prison for running a system where jobs were awarded according to the applicant's political connections.

The sentence was far less than the six years O'Brien could have been sentenced to serve.

WBUR's Fred Thys was in the courtroom Thursday and joins Morning Edition to talk about O'Brien's sentencing and the sentencing of his two top deputies.

Hear the full report in the audio player above.