Prosecutors Want Same Sentences In Amish Beard Cuttings

Prosecutors in Cleveland are asking a federal judge to hand down the same sentences to those convicted in the Amish beard- and hair-cuttings when all 16 are resentenced next month. The members of the northeastern Ohio Amish group are scheduled to be resentenced March 2 after the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned their hate crimes convictions. New sentences are required because the original sentences were based on hate-crimes convictions and convictions on other charges and did not differentiate between them. Prosecutors say the judge's decision at the new sentencing hearing will determine whether they will seek a new trial for the hate-crime charges. All 16 defendants were convicted of hate crimes. The leader of the Amish community, Sam Mullet Sr., was sentenced to 15 years in prison.