On August 12, 2010, Gerald Green, 78, and Patricia Green, 53, were sentenced to six months in jail and six months in home confinement. The Greens were convicted last year after a jury trial for paying $1.8 million in bribes from 2003 to 2007 to Juthamas Siriwan, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the president of the Bangkok film festival. In exchange, prosecutors said, the Greens obtained contracts worth about $13.5 million to produce the film festival. They were also ordered to each pay $250,000 in restitution.
The sentencing was delayed five times. Prosecutors argued that the federal guidelines called for sentences of around 20 years in prison and filed a brief asking for 10-year jail terms. The Greens’ attorneys argued for no jail time. The six-month prison term is the most lenient in recent times. For more information on the Greens, see our previous post here.