By JOSH POLTILOVE
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - William E. Burke, a former private defense contractor for U.S. Special Operations Command, was sentenced this week to 10 months behind bars for violating his probation by uttering a false statement in court.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew deferred his sentence, though, until after an appeals court rules on the conviction.

“We’re very pleased that the judge sentenced him to 10 months,” U.S. attorney’s spokesman Steve Cole said Thursday. “We feel he needs to do some time behind bars.”

At an April sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James Moody declined to send Burke to jail after a jury found Burke guilty in January of making a false statement. Federal prosecutors had recommended he spend between 33 and 41 months in prison.

Then Bucklew was tasked with determining whether Burke violated probation by lying under oath.

The government argued that in late 2004 and early 2005, Tom Spellissy paid $4,500 to Burke, who used his position with Socom to favor clients of Spellissy’s seeking to do business with the command.

In January 2006, Burke was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to bribery. Prosecutors recommended the lighter sentence because Burke agreed to testify against Spellissy, who once ran one of Socom’s most important acquisition offices.

During Spellissy’s May 2006 trial on conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud charges, however, Burke reversed his story. He said he wasn’t bribed by Spellissy.

Messages for Burke and his lawyer, Daniel Hernandez, were not returned Thursday.

Information from Tribune archives was used in this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

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