Corrupted justice | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Apparently, Ron Yengich and I attended different trials of Tim DeChristopher ("Lawyer chides client," Forum, May 7). The trial I attended consisted of defense lawyers Yengich and Pat Shea constantly being overruled and muzzled by U.S. District Judge Dee Benson.

DeChristopher was never allowed to tell the jury why he chose to do as he did. That didn't stop Benson from sentencing him to two years, after admonishing him that what he did "wasn't all that bad" but that he just wouldn't quit talking about it.

DeChristopher is now out of the lion's den and is an articulate spokesperson against social injustice. He has accepted a scholarship for graduate school at Harvard.

A judicial system that takes the best and brightest of our young people and sentences them to prison is indeed unjust and corrupt. And that includes the prosecutors and the judges. By the way, Yengich lost the case!

State Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, also flagrantly broke federal law. Where's his felony charge and trial?

If there's a "personal vendetta" here, it's not coming from DeChristopher. I challenge Yengich and Benson to a debate with DeChristopher. Let's throw in Sen. Orrin Hatch for laughs.

Ken Sanders

Salt Lake City