At the time of the bombing, Love was on the brink of serving a six-year prison sentence for robbery. His sinister plan involved turning his recruits, including a drug addict, an elderly woman, and a victim of an abusive relationship, into FBI informants in exchange for leniency.
The Government’s Unyielding Stand
The government, not swayed by Love’s plea, staunchly insisted that Judge McKeown impose the same 405-month sentence that Love was already serving. They pointed out how Love’s legal maneuvering had kept the case alive long enough to whittle down his original 55-year sentence, which was imposed in 2013. The 55-year sentence had been successively reduced to nearly 34 years before being vacated by the Ninth Circuit earlier this year.
A Tumultuous Legal Odyssey
In an unpublished opinion issued in May, a panel of Ninth Circuit judges unearthed a critical error in the sentencing process. Specifically, Love had been sentenced to an astonishing 285 months for possession of an unregistered firearm, an offense carrying a maximum penalty of 120 months in prison.
