Coughlin Back in Court on Sentence Appeal

ST. LOUIS -- Prosecutors began arguments in the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals here yesterday that former Wal-Mart Vice Chairman Tom Coughlin received too light a sentence after he pleaded guilty in January to wire fraud and tax evasion, according to reports. He had been sentenced to 27 months of house arrest, plus five years‘ probation and an order to repay about $411,000 after he allegedly stole from Wal-Mart using gift cards and other means. He could have received up to 28 years in prison, but was spared any time behind bars after his lawyers argued that he suffered from a raft of health problems that could have been exacerbated by time in jail.