Judge Sentences Marion Jones to 6 Months in Jail

"I ask you to be as merciful as a human being can be," that's what Marion Jones implored a judge today as he was sentencing her for lying to investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs and her role in a check-fraud scam. Jones pleaded with the judge not to separate her from her sons "even for a short period of time," saying she was still nursing the younger one. But still, U.S. District judge Ken Karras sentenced her to 6 months in prison, the maximum under her plea bargain agreement. He noted that he was applying the maximum sentence he could because_ "athletes in society have an elevated status. They entertain, they inspire and perhaps most important they serve as role models."