Sen. Rand Paul’s neighbor who in 2017 attacked the Kentucky Republican during a dispute over his yards was sentenced Monday to an additional eight months in prison for the assault.
Rene Boucher must also serve six months in home confinement, United States District Court Judge Matthew Leitman said Monday. Boucher will receive credit for the 30 days in prison that he has already served.
Boucher had initially been sentenced to 30 days in prison for the attack, as well as 100 hours of community service and a $ 10,000 fine, but prosecutors said the sentence was too lenient and he earned the right to argue for a heavier sentence. .
In a separate civil case, Boucher was also ordered to pay Paul more than $ 580,000 in damages.
Prosecutors were seeking a prison sentence of 21 to 27 months for Boucher.
During the virtual hearing, Paul, who suffered rib fractures in the November 2017 attack, said he flew 10 feet in the air from the force of the attack and was left with a “significant injury that I have symptoms of for life.” .
“I don’t know what a painless night is like or what a painless day is like, so I suffer from this,” Paul said. “This was not a routine altercation. This was not a face-to-face, man-to-man thing. “
Paul testified that he suffered multiple episodes of pneumonia after the attack and eventually had to undergo hernia surgery due to all of his chronic cough.
After completing his sentence, Boucher will be on supervised release for 18 months without contact with Paul or Paul’s family.
The attack stemmed from a dispute the two men had over the yard debris.
Boucher, who according to court documents “had enough” of Paul’s yard maintenance habits after seeing him stack a brush in a pile on his own lawn near Boucher’s property. Boucher then ran to Paul’s property and shot him down. Boucher was accused of assaulting a member of Congress as part of a federal plea agreement.
Carol Eggers contributed
