January 11, 2008
Marion Jones should stop trying to pull a fast one
The disgraced Olympic track star needs to tell the whole truth about her use of performance-enhancing drugs if she wants a judge to go easy on her.
By Philip Hersh, Special to The Times
Marion Jones' attorneys said in a court filing last month there was no reason for her to serve jail time and she should get probation.
Kenneth M. Karas, the federal judge handling the case, has made a request that suggests he may give her more jail time than the six-month maximum prosecutors recommended when she pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to lying about money laundering and doping.
The prosecutors told Karas on Wednesday that Jones should not get more than those six months agreed on by both sides.
Jones, the disgraced Olympic champion, is to find out at a Friday hearing what her sentence will be.
If I were the judge, I would favor leniency on these conditions:
* That Jones tell the entire truth about her use of performance-enhancing drugs.
* That a percentage of any future income is garnished until she can return some of the $700,000 the international track federation...
