Atkinson was charged last year with sending a graphic threat to lawyer Mark Zaid, who was representing a CIA analyst who had made allegations that fueled the inquiry that led to former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment.
During the brief sentencing hearing in Bay City , Mich., Ludington said he was impressed with changes Atkinson has made in his life in the past year or so, but the “stark and brutal” nature of the message he sent Zaid could not be ignored.
The attorney called Atkinson’s arrest “a blessing in disguise.”. Neville asked that Atkinson be sentenced to 12 months in prison, with six months of that time in home confinement, but the judge sided with prosecutors who sought a 12-month prison term.