RICHMOND, Va. — Justice Department prosecutors have urged a federal appeals court to uphold a prison sentence of more than 13 years for a former Coast Guard officer accused of plotting a terrorist attack inspired by infamous mass murderers and far-right extremists.
The arguments from federal prosecutors in Maryland came in a court filing Friday, months after attorneys for Christopher Hasson asked the appeals court to let him withdraw his guilty plea or else throw out his sentence.
The main area of contention is whether a federal judge properly applied a terrorism enhancement to the sentence of the former lieutenant, who was not charged or convicted of a terrorism-related offense.
