Former Wal-Mart exec sentenced

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://money.excite.com/ht/nw/bus/20060811/hle_bus-n11346610.html



Former Wal-Mart exec sentenced

Friday August 11, 3:27 PM EDT

FORT SMITH, Arkansas (Reuters) - Tom Coughlin, the former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) vice chairman who admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from the company, was sentenced on Friday to 27 months of home confinement.

Coughlin, who joined Wal-Mart in 1978 and worked closely with legendary founder Sam Walton, had faced up to 28 years in prison and $1.35 million in fines after he pleaded guilty in January to wire fraud and tax evasion.

"There is no excuse for my conduct," Coughlin said at the hearing in U.S. District Court in Fort Smith, Arkansas. "I feel compelled to apologize to my extended Wal-Mart family."

snip

His doctor, Joel Carver, had testified earlier on Friday that the 57-year-old was too "fragile" for prison, suffering from diabetes, cardiac disease, sleep apnea, arterial blockage, and other ailments. Coughlin was treated for arterial blockage in 2003 after falling ill while working out in a gym.

[zanne]

1. Home confinement?

"That's it, young man; you're grounded"!

[AnneD]

2. Guess he

won't be shopping at Wal Mart anymore. They really prosecute.

[ck4829]

3. The media will so have a field day over this

:sarcasm:

[Dover]

4. Meanwhile, Joe Bob, who stole a t-shirt from the Wal-Mart will be

serving 5 years.

[China_cat]

5. Home confinement

might mean something if it was the home that could be afforded by a WalMart employee.

[Ecumenist]

6. "HOME CONFINEMENT??!!!"

If anyone of us had taken anything near the amount this man did, we'd find ourselves in Jail so fast, we'd throw sparks. And HE'S TOO FRAGILE???? I'm sure that everyone has heard of people who've gone to prison with AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, emphysema, you name it... Here in California, there's the Deuel facility where folks with health problems are incarcerated and treated when they have broken the law. I can't believe that there isn't the same type of facility in other states.

[NoAmericanTaliban]

7. Who says crime doesn't pay.

He stole 500k and had to repay 411k. Almost a 90k profit. I thought the Repukes were supposed to be tough on criminals - I guess as long as it's not one of theirs. Home confinement - what a crock!

[datadiva]

8. Home Confinement?

Thats just plain wrong.

[CatholicEdHead]

9. Wow, he suffers from alot of health issues at only 57

Is this part of the cost to climb the corporate ladder?

[LordLovesAWorkingMan]

10. It's the cost of being a fat, stealing bastard

May he be miserable at home.