Biggest sentence yet for abuse: 1 year

There are few details available about the conviction of California Guardsman Sgt. David Fimon. He was sentenced late last week to one year of detention and discharged with bad-conduct according to wire services for abuses committed in Baghdad this year. His sentence is the most severe of any handed down by military justice yet — more so that those for Abu Ghraib or the Bagram homicides.

It is rather stunning, then, that the media has paid so little attention to this case. From what we can gather from an earlier LA Times investigation, the abuse charges against Sgt. Fimon are related to a bigger investigation into extortion and abuse by the 1st battaltion of the 184th infantry regiment based in Baghdad.

According to the Times, nearly 20 soldiers are under investigation for exorting illegal "rents" from Baghdad business owners, and for an incident involving the cruel and unnecessary application of stun guns this June.

The commanding officer of the 1/184th was featured by the LA Times in a very unfavorable light last month.