JUDGE REDUCES 8-YEAR SENTENCE

FORT PIERCE -- A New Hampshire man convicted in 2004 of money
laundering in a conspiracy with ties to the Treasure Coast will get
three years trimmed off his eight-year prison sentence in return for
cooperating with federal officials in a separate investigation, a
judge ruled Wednesday.

A Fort Pierce jury in August 2004 convicted Michael D. Munro, 44, of
Weare, N.H., of laundering what he believed to be about a half-million
dollars in heroin money through his travel agency. Federal prosecutors
on Wednesday told a judge that since Munro was sentenced he has
cooperated with officials at the Federal Trade Commission and provided
information in another ongoing probe.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim McAdams said officials have not yet
corroborated Munro's information, but his office was willing to
recommend that Munro's 97-month sentence be reduced to 73 months. He
added that an FTC attorney believes the information to be "truthful
and accurate."

Munro's attorney asked for a reduction to 24 months, of which he has
already served 22 months. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks
ultimately ordered Munro's sentence to be cut to 60 months in prison,
taking about three years off his original sentence.

Because the FTC investigation is open, Middlebrooks sealed documents
detailing it and Munro's involvement, and in court Wednesday attorneys
were instructed to talk about it only in general terms.

Munro urged Middlebrooks to reduce his sentence, saying he has already
served more time than either of his co-defendants.

"I have turned myself around," Munro said. "I maintain I'm a good
person and a good businessman and plan to live a good honest life."

Munro was found guilty of four counts of money-laundering conspiracy.
Stuart resident Jay Stoelting was sentenced to two years in federal
prison for his part in the scheme, reaching a plea agreement with
prosecutors. And West Palm Beach resident Kenneth E. Morrison was
sentenced to 21 months in prison on one count of money laundering.

The trio was accused of laundering $424,900 through Munro's New
Hampshire-based travel company for a man who claimed to be involved in
a heroin ring, but was really an undercover agent. That agent gave the
men the money to launder in March and April 2003 and met with them
several times in West Palm Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce
and Orlando, records show.

During Munro's 2004 trial, his attorney said Stoelting became
entangled in the scheme without Munro's knowledge. By the time Munro
discovered what was happening, he feared for his life and felt he had
no choice but to go along with the plan, his attorney argued.

It took a jury less than an hour to convict Munro and Morrison.