"Yesterday (as reported by the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere):
"At no time did this office ever seek – or ever tell Mr. Swartz’s attorneys that it intended to seek – maximum penalties under the law."
And July 2011 (as posted by justice.gov itself):
"SWARTZ faces up to 35 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, restitution, forfeiture and a fine of up to $1 million""
Stating that a person faces x amount of years is not the same as saying we are seeking to put you in jail for this many years.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this is how anyone who allegedly broke the law would be treated. The law you broke states you can face up to x, y, and z for breaking it, but hardly anyone gets that maximum sentencing. Hell, even murderers rarely get the maximum sentencing.
But having the involved US attorney then basically lie about it all in a very public statement is something that I find particularly offensive."
-- Linus Torvalds, https://plus.google.com/102150693225130002912/posts/ggzfzKyr...