Minnesota Filmmaker Sentence Appeal Rejected
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A Minnesota filmmaker sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in the Iowa Film Office scandal has been denied an appeal of her sentence by the Iowa Court of Appeals.
Wendy Weiner Runge claims the district court judge improperly considered comments she made in a blog during her trial. In the posts she criticized prosecutors and the judge and alleged the charges were the result of anti-Semitism.
Judge Douglas Staskal said the posts suggested Runge had not taken responsibility for her actions. He called her "arrogant and defiant" and sentenced her to 10 years in prison.
Runge, who is 47, says in her appeal that a guilty plea inherently accepts responsibility and demonstrates remorse.
The appeals court finds Staskal properly considered the blog and the sentence reasonable.
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