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MARCH 14, 2008 By Kimberly Morrison The Morning News Coughlin OK'd To Attend Party Former Wal-Mart Executive Given Approval As Part Of Community Service Requirement. The U.S. Probation Office said it approved former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executive Tom Coughlin to attend a fundraising party last week as part of the court-ordered community service that spared him jail time. In 2006, Coughlin was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Dawson to 27 months of home detention and five years' probation after admitting to misuse of company money and gift cards to pay for some $500,000 in personal items. Coughlin began serving his 27 months of home detention Oct. 10, 2006, at his Centerton-area ranch. After an appeal forced a resentencing, Dawson on Feb. 1 added 1,500 hours of community service to Coughlin's original sentence. Coughlin, under the cover of that community service, attended the Hunting Heritage Superfund Banquet for the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation on Saturday in Benton County. Myron Smith, U.S. chief probation officer, said Coughlin's attendance at the fundraiser and other fundraising activities for the turkey conservation organization was approved community service work. Tim Wise, the group's banquet chairman, told The Associated Press that Coughlin's fundraising activities at the event included bidding on some artwork during an auction. But U.S. Prosecutor Bob Balfe, who fought for a prison term and recently filed a notice of appeal to the court's sentencing decision, was critical of the Probation Office's allowance for Coughlin to attend a social function as community service. "I was very surprised," Balfe told The Morning News. "We've had several hearings in this case about the significant health problems that Tom Coughlin allegedly has that prevented him from being able to serve any time - even in a minimum security prison. So it's somewhat surprising that his health allowed him to attend parties such as this." Douglas McNabb, a Houston defense attorney who has been openly supportive of Coughlin and the court's decision to spare him jail time due to poor health, said he doubted fundraising socials was what Dawson had in mind when he added community service to Coughlin's sentence. "I don't think that fundraising ought to be considered community service," McNabb said. "That doesn't even pass the smell test." Dawson wrote a 30-page memo explaining his decision to add community service to Coughlin's sentence following his Feb. 1 ruling. "The community will surely appreciate the talents of one of the nation's foremost businesspeople flowing to the benefit of nonprofit organizations," Dawson wrote in the memo. Coughlin is still being monitored with an ankle bracelet as he carries out the remaining months of his home confinement. He was reportedly wearing the device as he socialized with the group's hunting enthusiasts. Coughlin, too, was an avid hunter before he lost his right to have firearms as a felon. Smith defended his decision to allow Coughlin to attend the function, saying that volunteer work with community nonprofit organizations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, matching the needed services to the skills and abilities of the offender. The Probation Office said it will continue to work with Coughlin to identify community nonprofit organizations that may benefit from his volunteer work, and that previous decisions can be re-evaluated as part of ongoing monitoring of community service. "The bottom line here is that we have a responsibility to carry out the orders of the court," Smith said. "As things go, sometimes the needs change and we'll make adjustments from there," Smith said. Balfe said he hopes to have a decision on whether to file an appeal in the next couple of weeks. And Coughlin's entanglement with the legal system continues in his fight with Wal-Mart for retirement benefits. A trial date on the issue is scheduled for Aug. 21 in Benton County Circuit Court. | |