Ex-Army private gets 45 years for plot against his unit
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A former U.S. Army private from Kentucky who was devoted to a violent extremist group has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for plotting to arrange a murderous terrorist attack on his paratrooper unit. U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods said Friday that 24-year-old Ethan Phelan Melzer deserved the maximum sentence even though the attack never happened because of the lasting harm Melzer had done by sharing Army intelligence with terrorists. The judge also said he didn’t believe Melzer claims of regret. Melzer trembled when he first heard the sentence before exiting the courtroom later with his ankles shackled.
