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Kane, 50, the
first woman and first Democrat elected attorney general, faces a
maximum prison sentence of 24 years but state guidelines suggest
she could get a significantly shorter sentence. In court papers
she asked to be sentenced to house arrest to allow her to care
for two minor children.
Kane was convicted by a jury in Montgomery County Court of
Common Pleas in August and resigned two days later.
District Attorney Kevin Steele, who prosecuted the case, opposed
Kane's request for house arrest, saying it was inappropriate for
someone facing a state prison sentence and suggesting that
Kane's ex-husband could care for the children.
Steele filed a memorandum last week opposing Kane's request for
leniency and asking for "consecutive" sentences of an
unspecified length.
Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy is not bound by the sentencing
guidelines.
Kane's lawyer, Marc Steinberg, declined to comment ahead of
Monday's hearing.
Kane was convicted of leaking confidential grand jury
information in 2013 to a reporter for the Philadelphia Daily
News to retaliate against a former state prosecutor, Frank Fina.
She believed Fina had told the Philadelphia Inquirer about her
decision to drop prosecution of a case Fina developed against
six black Democratic legislators in Philadelphia.
Kane is the second Pennsylvania attorney general in the past
quarter-century to be convicted of crimes committed in office.
In 1995, Attorney General Ernie Preate pleaded guilty to mail
fraud and served a prison sentence.
(Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Trott)
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