Statement by U.S. Attorney David Gaouette Regarding the Resentencing of Former Qwest CEO Joesph Nacchio

DENVER—This afternoon, United States District Court Judge Marcia Krieger sentenced former Qwest Chief Executive Officer Joesph Nacchio to serve 70 months in federal prison. Krieger also ordered Nacchio to pay a $19,000,000 fine. Prior to today’s hearing, both the defense and the prosecution stipulated that Nacchio would forfeit $44,632,464.38. This resentencing hearing was conducted after the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals remanded the matter to the District Court. United States Attorney David Gaouette issued the following statement regarding today’s resentencing hearing:

“First, I would like to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Hearty and Kevin Traskos for their outstanding work on this case. This case has been worked on for a number of years and these two gentlemen have devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort not only for the government but also for all those impacted by the criminal acts of Mr. Nacchio. I also want to recognize the hard work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the support of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in Washington. Their work was invaluable and Mr. Nacchio would not have received the sentence he did today without them.

“We are extremely pleased with the sentence announced today by Judge Krieger. As the judge stated in court, these are serious crimes, with serious consequences. We also believe, as the judge mentioned, that the law applies equally to everyone. No one is above the law, and Mr. Nacchio, like the rest of us, must be held accountable for his criminal conduct. This is why the government pursued this case and will defend the sentence imposed by Judge Krieger in the future if necessary.”