U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston
told former Mingo County Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury that he along with
his “cronies” took away the constitutional rights of a Delbarton man and in
doing so made government “unrecognizable” in Mingo County
The judge called Thornsbury’s
conduct “appalling and unacceptable.”
As the only circuit judge in Mingo County
During his apology to the court
Monday, Thornsbury said he regretted the “30 second conversation” he had with
Crum when he agreed to the deal.
“It’s with me every waking minute.
I failed. I failed,” Thornsbury said.
But Judge Johnston said Thornsbury
conduct went beyond those 30 seconds.
“It’s important for this sentence
to send a message,” he said.
The judge rehearsed other charges
against Thornsbury that included having his secretary’s husband arrested on a
drug charge because she rejected the judge’s advances. Johnston
The sentencing guidelines called
for a 30-37 months in prison and with a 10-month reduction for cooperating with
investigators, Thornsbury faced 20-27 months but Judge Johnston doubled that
time with a 50-month sentence and said it would have been 60 months without the
cooperation.
“Mr. Thornsbury’s conduct was
shocking and appalling, really,” U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said. “It really
cried out for a stiff sentence. The court does this every day and he can see
hollow words and he can see what was actually the case here.”
Goodwin said he agrees with the
stiffer sentence because Thornsbury was an officer of the court.
“He holds justice in his hands and
that system was compromised in this case,” he said.
Federal prosecutors did tell the
court it was Thornsbury’s information and agreement to testify that was
significant in the guilty pleas of former Mingo County Commissioner Dave
Baisden and former Mingo County Prosecutor Michael Sparks. Sparks
Thornsbury, who had his law license
stripped and lost his state pension as part of the conviction, spoke for
several minutes. He described himself as having “misguided loyalties with
selfishness and pride.” He said he’d been in self-imprisonment for the last several
months.
“I offer my sincere apologies. I
would take it back 10,000 times over if I could. I ask for forgiveness for
everyone impacted,” he said. “I’m flawed. I showed weakness. I should have and
could have stopped the change of counsel. I was wrong as wrong could be.”
Thornbury’s attorneys pointed out
his years of work in the community with youth programs asking the judge for a
lighter sentence so he could begin to rebuild his life but Judge Johnston
refused saying Thornsbury’s good works were “completely overshadowed” by his
other actions.
Thornsbury will self-report to
federal prison. He’s asked to be sent to federal work camps in either Pensacola , Fla. , or Montgomery , Alabama
