Former tribal official gets 28 months

A New London judge told Eastern Pequot tribal member Mark R. Sebastian that he is an "enigma" as he sentenced him Wednesday to 28 months in prison for seven gun crimes.

A jury in December convicted Sebastian, 47, of purchasing three pistols in November 2005 with the intent of giving them to his cousin, Calvin Sebastian, a 38-year-old career criminal prohibited from possessing guns. The jury also found Sebastian guilty of giving his cousin the guns along with a fourth pistol at a later date.

Sebastian was taken into custody following the sentence, but family members said they were attempting to post a $50,000 bond so that he could remain free while his attorney appeals his conviction. Judge Kevin P. McMahon had raised his bond from $150,000 to $200,000 following the sentencing.

In his sentencing remarks, McMahon said Sebastian was difficult for him to deal with because, unlike the criminals he usually sees, Sebastian was a longtime tribal leader with no criminal record and a 20-year work history. Many supporters had sent letters to the court on Sebastian's behalf, including his ex-wife and the Gemma E. Moran United Way Labor Food Center, where Sebastian has served as a volunteer.

"To give Calvin Sebastian four guns is not only irrational, it's illogical," the judge said. "It's stupid. And that's why I'm going to give you the sentence that I'm going to give you. You gave a drug dealer four guns."

The judge handed down the sentence of seven years in prison, suspended after 28 months served and three years probation. Sebastian had faced up to 35 years in prison if he were given the maximum sentence for each crime.

The cousin, who is serving a 16-year sentence for cocaine trafficking, gave information to federal agents with the hope of reducing what could have been a life sentence. Calvin Sebastian then reluctantly testified against his cousin at trial. Mark Sebastian denied giving his cousins the guns and implied that they could have been stolen from his house.

Defense attorney Adam A. Laben had asked the judge to give Sebastian a fully suspended sentence. He said Sebastian has been punished enough by having his good name tarnished and that he is needed by his son and his mother. Laben said that as a convicted felon, Sebastian would never be able to own firearms again, which was an important part of his life, and would never be able to serve as a tribal officer or take a federal job.

Sebastian said he would continue to dedicate his life to helping people.

"My life doesn't end here," he said. "It begins here. I'll rise up and show my character."

k.florin@theday.com