Feds recommend 10 years in prison for Bob McDonnell

The federal agency that will play a pivotal role in guiding the sentence of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has recommended that he spend at least 10 years and a month in prison and at most 12 years and 7 months, according to several people familiar with the matter.

The guidelines recommended by the U.S. probation office are preliminary, and even if they are made final, U.S. District Judge James Spencer is not required to follow them. But experts said Spencer typically heeds the probation office's advice, and judges in his district have imposed sentences within the recommended range more than 70 percent of the time in recent years.

"It's of critical importance," white-collar criminal defense attorney Scott Fredericksen said. "The fact is, the vast majority of times, courts follow those recommendations closely."

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