ALTON, Ill. -- Two Texas brothers received maximum sentences for their roles in the abduction of an abortion clinic owner and his wife.
U.S. District Judge William Beatty Friday sentenced Wayne Moore, 18, of New Caney, Texas, to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the abduction of Dr. Hector Zevallos and his wife, Rosalie Jean.
Moore's 22-year-old brother, Matthew, also of New Caney, was sentenced to 40 years in prison and fined $20,000.
U.S. Attorney Frederick Hess said both brothers will undergo a psychiatric examination at the federal medical center in Springfield, Mo., and Beatty could review the sentences after the test results are prepared.
Wayne Moore pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the case and Matthew Moore pleaded guilty to attempting and conspiring to interfere with interstate commerce.
The younger brother had pleaded guilty to one charge in return for the dropping of the second charge. The older brother pleaded guilty to both charges.
Zevallos, 53, and his wife were abducted Aug. 12 from their home near Edwardsville by three men who called themselves the 'Army of God.' The couple was held eight days before being released unharmed.
Don Benny Anderson of Pearland, Texas, the leader of the anti-abortion group, was convicted Jan. 27 of attempting to interfere with interstate commerce and conspiring to do so. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Authorities said Zevallos and his wife were abducted in an effort to force the closing of his abortion clinic, which testimony indicated was involved in interstate commerce. No federal kidnapping charges were filed against the suspects because the couple was not taken across state lines.
Authorities in Florida are also considering filing charges against Anderson and Matthew Moore in connection with fires at abortion clinics in St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
The 'Army of God' claimed responsibility for the fires, which police said were deliberately set.
