[tptacek]

5 is the high side, not the low side, according to the sentencing guidelines (which directly capture the fact that it's North Korea he helped; the sentencing guidelines for 50 USC 1705 practically read as if they were written specifically for North Korea).

[tomjakubowski]

Where do you see five years as the high end? 50 USC §1705 says "not more than 20 years".

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/1705

[tptacek]

That's not how sentences work. Read the federal sentencing guidelines.

[MertsA]

Not to nitpick, but it's not like the sentencing guidelines are binding. The judge can still choose to hand down a sentence outside of what the sentencing guidelines prescribe. Case and point, Paul Manafort and his "otherwise blameless life".

[tptacek]

I'm just going to say that the sentencing guidelines capture 50 USC 1705 directly and are written in such a way as to suggest that North Korea is exactly what they were thinking of.