Summary
A day after disgraced Contra Costa District Attorney Mark Peterson was convicted of a felony and resigned, prosecutors who had endured six months of drama expressed mixed emotions, wondering whether things would get better, or if the taint of Peterson’s actions would linger.
On Thursday, many prosecutors in the office seemed as though they were still taking it all in, and they weren’t all of like mind concerning the impact. Some were somber, saying the scandal — which became public in December — stained the office’s reputation beyond Peterson’s tenure. Two other prosecutors said a “cloud” had been lifted from the office.
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State prosecutors said Wednesday they didn’t want Peterson to receive special treatment because of his office. But Stanford law professor Robert Weisberg said that while perjury cases are rare — especially for DAs — Peterson’s sentence of 250 hours community service and three years probation was lenient.
“(Peterson’s sentence) was absolutely low-end. In federal perjury cases, you can go to prison for several years,” Weisberg said. “His most substantial penalty was quitting his job.”
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