PORTLAND, Ore., July 13 -- Jeff Gillooly, the ex-husband of figure skater Tonya Harding, was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison and fined $100,000 for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. Judge Donald Londer also ordered Gillooly, who had pleaded guilty to racketeering in a plea bargaining agreement, to undergo three years of post-prison supervision.
Kerrigan was struck on the knee by a metal baton during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. She was knocked out the competition and Harding went on to win the U.S. title and an automatic spot on the Olympic team. 'The only motivation in this case was greed,' said Londer in sentencing Gillooly. 'I shudder to think how more serious her injury might have been.' Londer rejected a plea by Gillooly's attorney for a reduced sentence in light of penalties imposed on other persons involved in the incident. Harding pleaded guilty March 16 to a conspiracy charge in the attack on Kerrigan. She also was fined $100,000 and placed on three years' probation for conspiring to hinder the prosecution. Harding was stripped of her U.S. Figure Skating national championship and banned from the sport for life. Harding's former bodyguard, Shawn Eric Eckardt, who was accused of making some of the contacts to set up the assault on Kerrigan, was sentenced Monday to serve 18 months in prison. Eckardt struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty May 3 to conspiracy to commit assault. Eckardt could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if he was found guilty after a trial.
