Theft Comes with Stiff Penalty

Perhaps you read recently about Raymond E. Bornhoft being sentenced to 63 months in prison for stealing $3 million from a family trust.

Bornhoft, the former Fayetteville attorney, oversaw the Greene Family Revocable Trust from 2001 to 2006 and pleaded guilty in 2010 to charges of wire fraud and mail fraud. Investigators said he used the stolen money to buy property and pay debts.

Perhaps you, like us, wondered how much of that 63 months Bornhoft actually will serve. The answer, we were reminded, is there is no parole in the federal system.

A little more digging revealed some prisoners do manage to secure early releases for “good time.” A source familiar with the proceedings said the “best-case” scenario for Bornhoft likely means he serves at least 85 percent of his sentence.

For any math-challenged readers, that’s more than 53 months.