Thaindian News

Washington, March 2 (IANS) An Indian-American doctor has been sentenced to life imprisonment for a 2009 bombing that critically injured the chairman of the Arkansas Medical Board against whom he held a grudge.

Randeep Mann, former physician at Russellville in Arkansas state, was sentenced Monday in federal court in Little Rock, the Arkansas News reported.

Mann’s wife was given a year in prison for getting in the way of the federal investigation.

Prosecutors say Mann was out for revenge after Pierce pulled Mann’s license to prescribe narcotics. Several of Mann’s patients had overdosed on drugs.

That’s when Mann attached a bomb to Pierce’s car, which was sitting in the driveway of Pierce’s West Memphis home. Pierce lost some of his sight and hearing in the bombing, and was left badly scarred.

Pierce attended the hearing, and gave a brief statement asking the judge to send Randeep Mann to prison for life.

The Manns attorneys maintain their clients’ innocence and plan to appeal within 14 days.

“The jury just got this wrong. It’s a great system we have in this country, but it is not infallible,” said defence attorney Blake Hendrix.

“I have not a clue who did it, but we can assume that person is still running around,” Hendrix added.

Also present at Monday’s sentencing was Teresa Harris, whose daughter Ellie overdosed on prescription drugs seven years ago, she says under the care of Randeep Mann.

The Pierce family is asking for 1.7 million dollars in restitution. The judge left that decision open for 90 days to further examine the Manns’ finances.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)