In a different Pennsylvania courthouse than he was sworn in as Luzerne County Commissioner,  Greg Skrepenak was sentenced on corruption charges. He received two years in jail for accepting $5,000 from a developer who received government-backed financing.  His years as an NFL and University of Michigan football lineman, made little difference in the outcome. Instead, after pleading guilty Skrepenak asked for leniency as a single father.  It was “Greg Skrepenak’s “unparalleled devotion” as a single father that should win him a reduced sentence on the corruption charge, his attorney stated.  Skrepenak’s ex-wife is currently serving a prison sentence on drug-related charges and suffers from addiction.  Skrepenak’s attorney filed a motion for leniency stating,  “Historically, sentences for females and single female parents have statistically and significantly been less harsh than those of their male counterparts.”

Skrepenak ultimately received two years in prison. The charge carries a maximum of ten years in prison and a 250,000 fine, but was expected to fall somewhere between 33-41 months under federal sentencing guidelines. Most commentary from the public pressed for a harsher penalty, the mantra of many being “you do the crime, you do the time”.  Others felt he was just using his children to get out of prison.

I wonder, would the same sentence or harsh public opinion exist if all genders in the situation were reversed?