Judge Young: Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence
the Court imposes upon you.
On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the
custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7, the
Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the sentence on each
count to run consecutive one with the other. That's 80 years.
On Count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years consecutive to
the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you on each of the eight
counts a fine of $250,000 for the aggregate fine of $2 million.
The Court accepts the government's recommendation with respect to
restitution and orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre
Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines.
The Court imposes upon you the $800 special assessment.
The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the
law requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need not
go any further.
This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and
a just sentence. It is a righteous sentence. Let me explain this to you.
We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We
are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is all too much war
talk here. And I say that to everyone with the utmost respect.
Here in this court where we deal with individuals as individuals, and
care for individuals as individuals, as human beings we reach out for justice.
You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a
soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to
call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. Whether it is the
officers of government who do it or your attorney who does it, or that happens
to be your view, you are a terrorist.
And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not treat with terrorists.
We do not sign documents with terrorists.
We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.
So war talk is way out of line in this court. You're a big fellow. But
you're not that big. You're no warrior. I know warriors. You are a
terrorist. A species of criminal guilty of multiple attempted murders.
In a very real sense Trooper Santiago had it right when first you were
taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and
where the TV crews were and you said you're no big deal. You're no big deal.
What your counsel, what your able counsel and what the equally able United
States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how
tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it
that led you here to this courtroom today? I have listened respectfully to
what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself
what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit
you are guilty of doing.
And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you. But as I search this
entire record it comes as close to understanding as I know.
It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious. You
hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as
we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we
individually choose.
Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it
everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual
freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that
everyone can see, truly see that justice is administered fairly, individually,
and discretely.
It is for freedom's seek that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on
your behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in their, their representation
of you before other judges. We care about it. Because we all know that the
way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties.
Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any burden; pay
any price, to preserve our freedoms.
Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long
remember what you or I say here. Day after tomorrow it will be forgotten. But
this, however, will long endure. Here, in this courtroom, and courtrooms all
across America, the American people will gather to see that justice,
individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being
done.
The very President of the United States through his officers will have to
come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be
judged, and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence
democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.
See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America.
That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag still
stands for freedom. You know it always will. Custody, Mr. Officer. Stand him
down.