Denver — A federal appeals court Friday upheld Michael Fortier's 12-year prison term in the Oklahoma City bombing, rejecting arguments that the judge was vindictive and improperly exceeded the sentencing guidelines.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling, said U.S. District Judge Thomas Van Bebber, whose offices are in Kansas City, Kan., could impose a longer sentence than the guidelines called for because of the enormity of the crime.
Fortier, 31, an Army buddy of Timothy McVeigh's, pleaded guilty to failing to warn authorities about the plot. He admitted that he helped McVeigh move and sell stolen weapons and that he lied to FBI agents after the April 19, 1995, attack that killed 168 people. His attorney said he will seek a rehearing.
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