Former US Guards Face Long Prison Sentences for Iraq Shootings

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four former Blackwater security guards face decades in prison when they're sentenced for their roles in a 2007 shooting of Iraqi civilians.

Sentencing is scheduled for Monday morning in federal court in Washington.

Three of the guards face mandatory, decades-long sentences because of firearm convictions. A fourth faces a life sentence after being found guilty of first-degree murder.

They were charged in the deaths of 14 Iraqis, killings that caused an international uproar. They were convicted in October after a long legal fight.

Prosecutors have said the shooting was unprovoked, though defense lawyers countered that the men were targeted with gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police, and shot back in self-defense.

Defense lawyers are expected to argue for mercy Monday by saying that decades-long sentences would be unconstitutionally harsh.

(Story by: The Associated Press)

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