White supremacist sentenced to 40 years

CHICAGO -- An avowed white supremacist convicted of hiring an FBI informant to kill a federal judge was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in prison following a rambling, two-hour speech in which he claimed he was the victim and even recited part of the "Star Spangled Banner."\nProsecutors argued for the maximum sentence, saying Matthew Hale's crime amounted to an act of terrorism, and the judge agreed.\n"Mr. Hale is not concerned about taking someone's life, but rather how to do it without getting caught," U.S. District Judge James Moody said in imposing the sentence. "I consider Mr. Hale to be extremely dangerous and the offense for which he was convicted to be extremely egregious."\nHale, 33, the self-styled Pontifex Maximus of a group that preaches racial holy war, showed no emotion but sat staring at the defense table as the sentence was read.\nHe was convicted in April 2004 of soliciting an undercover FBI informant to murder U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow after she ordered him to stop using the name World Church of the Creator for his group because of a trademark dispute.\nLefkow wasn't harmed, and Hale claims he never wanted her killed.\nThe sentencing came less than a month after Lefkow's husband and mother were murdered by an intruder who broke into their Chicago home. Early suspicion had fallen on Hale followers, but in the end, a Chicago man disgruntled about a Lefkow ruling in his medical malpractice lawsuit confessed to the slayings in a suicide note before killing himself.\nIn a rambling, arm waving speech to the court before his sentencing Wednesday, Hale brought up the murders, despite Moody's efforts to stop him.\n"This horrible lie may have had some effect on this scoundrel and what happened to her family," Hale said.\nHe admitted that he was "wandering a bit" after the judge interrupted him, but he rambled on about the case. He compared the FBI to the Gestapo, claimed the news media smeared him, said he had been poorly represented by his former lawyer and ended by reciting the last lines of the Star Spangled Banner.\n"Before you does stand a man who not only is innocent, not only is demonstrably innocent, but who refused to join a plot against Judge Lefkow's life," Hale said.\nU.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said afterward that Hale was wrong to think he was morally justified and could get away it by using someone else to carry out violence. "I put no stock in his claims, the crocodile tears, that he didn't do anything wrong," Fitzgerald said.\nThe sentencing happened much faster than expected. No witnesses were called, and the judge ruled after hearing Hale's speech.\nThe evidence against Hale included a tape of a conversation with the head of his White Beret security force -- a man who was also the FBI's mole.\nOn the tape, Hale, who lived in East Peoria, is reminded that he asked for the judge's home address.\n"That information, yes, for educational purposes and for whatever reason you wish it to be," the transcript quotes Hale as saying.\n"Are we gonna exterminate the rat?" the informant asks.\n"Well, whatever you want to do, basically," Hale says.\nA minute later he adds: "My position has always been that, you know, I'm going to fight within the law and, but, ah, that information's been provided if you wish to, ah, do anything, yourself, you can. So that makes it clear."\n"Consider it done," the informant says.\n"Good," Hale replies.