Alabama booster Young gets 6 months in prison
U.S. District Judge Daniel Breen sentenced Logan Young, 64, to six months in prison, six months of house arrest and two years supervised probation.
Young, who suffers from degenerative kidney disease, sought a sentence on his racketeering conspiracy conviction that did not include time behind bars.
But Breen, noting that Young’s trial exposed part of the “underbelly of college sports,” said a sentence was needed to deter other rich sports boosters from committing similar acts, though he handed down a much lighter punishment than prosecutors sought.
Breen also said Young must pay $96,100 in restitution for structuring bank withdrawals to hide a crime. The restitution was set by the jury that convicted Young in February.
Prosecutors sought a prison term of two years to 30 months for Young.
Breen allowed Young to remain free while his lawyers ask the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn his conviction.
Young was convicted of paying former high school coach Lynn Lang $150,000 to send defensive lineman Albert Means to Alabama five years ago.
Before sentencing, defense lawyer Robert Hutton said Young is the first sports booster convicted of racketeering for influencing a young athlete’s choice of a college.
“This is the only case like this that I’ve been able to find,” Hutton said.
Young said he was not upset that Lang avoided a prison sentence by pleading guilty to conspiracy and testifying against him.
“I don’t have a problem with that,” Young said as he left the federal courthouse. “I’m happy with what I got.”
Young said he was right to go to trial and believes his lawyers have a good chance of overturning his conviction on appeal.
“I did exactly what I wanted to do and what my lawyers told me to do,” Young said. “And that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
Defense lawyers contend Young committed no crime as defined by state law.
While he was convicted in federal court of money laundering and racketeering conspiracy, the underlying offense was bribery of a public servant, which is a violation of Tennessee law.
Defense lawyers argue that Lang’s official duties as a high school coach did not include advising athletes on which colleges to attend.
“To be bribery, it has to be the payment of money to a public official to influence him in his official duties,” said defense lawyer James Neal.
Young’s lawyers said he needs a kidney transplant and could not get one behind bars.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Godwin argued that Young would get competent medical care in prison.
In handing down a lighter sentence than prosecutors wanted, Breen refused to classify Means as a “vulnerable victim” under federal sentencing guidelines.
The sentencing hearing began Thursday but was delayed after Lang was quoted in The Commercial Appeal newspaper of Memphis saying the Means family got $60,000 of the payoff money.
Means was portrayed at Young’s trial as a young, innocent victim who know nothing about payoffs to Lang.
Defense attorney Robert Hutton argued that Means wasn’t hurt by getting a scholarship at Alabama.
Means said at Young’s trial that Lang arranged for another student to take the college entrance exam for him.
“As a result of this conspiracy, he was able to attend college,” Hutton said.
The NCAA has said it believed Means was unaware his football talents were being brokered. Means refuses to talk about Lang’s allegations.
Lang testified at Young’s trial that other universities, including Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Memphis, Mississippi, Michigan State and Tennessee, offered him money or jobs to get Means.
No charges were filed against anyone with those schools. Three former coaches, Rip Scherer of Memphis, Jim Donnan of Georgia and Ivy Williams, an Alabama assistant, testified Lang was lying.
Means’ recruitment became part of an NCAA investigation that led to sanctions against Alabama in 2002, costing the Crimson Tide scholarships and bowl appearances.
Lang, the former head coach at Trezevant High in Memphis, lost his job because of the recruiting scandal and now lives in Michigan.
He testified against Young while waiting to be sentenced on a guilty plea to crossing state lines as part of a racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors supported Lang’s request to avoid prison and he was sentenced to two years probation and 500 hours of community service.
Means transferred to Memphis after one season at Alabama and finished his college eligibility last season.