Article content

A federal prosecutor has asked the Ontario Court of Appeal to hand down a stiffer sentence for the only person convicted in the 2011 robocalls case, saying the original penalty imposed last year was insufficient to deter others who might attempt similar election fraud.

Former Conservative campaign worker Michael Sona was sentenced last year to nine months in jail, but served only two weeks before he was released on bail pending an appeal.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Crown seeks increased sentence for Sona over 2011 robocalls case Back to video

Sona, 26, has since elected to appeal only the severity of the sentence, not the conviction.

In a strongly-worded submission, the Crown argues for 20 months jail and opposes any reduction of the sentence, claiming that the trial judge erred by handing down a sentence that failed to send a strong enough message to others who may “unleash their own creatively crafted dirty political tricks.”

“Political zealots tempted to put their hands on the scales of democracy must know that criminal interference with the integrity of the electoral process will come with severe consequences,” writes Crown lawyer Nick Devlin in a factum submitted in the appeal Friday.