Prison time sought in cyber-bullying case

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ST. LOUIS, May 7 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors said Lori Drew should spend three years in prison for acts of cyber-bullying blamed for the suicide of a teenager in Dardenne Prairie, Mo.

The prosecutors made the sentencing recommendation to the federal judge presiding over Drew's case, which resulted in the Missouri mother being convicted of three misdemeanor charges of illegally accessing a protected computer and violating the terms of service, the St. Louis (Mo.) Post-Dispatch said Thursday.

Drew initially faced a felony charge of conspiracy in the suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who prosecutors said killed herself after being bullied by Drew through the networking Web site MySpace.

Drew's lawyer, H. Dean Steward, insists his client did not participate in the creation or use of a fake MySpace account that Meier thought belonged to a ficitious teenage boy.

The Post-Dispatch said while prosecutors want Drew to face the maximum penalty for her conviction, her defense team has asked for probation and a $5,000 fine.

Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for May 18.