A guilty plea entered shortly before trial should not receive reduced weight where the delay was caused by negotiations between the parties, the accused was not responsible for the length of negotiations, and the negotiations led to significant concessions. The mere involvement of innocent persons in a fraudulent scheme is not an aggravating factor unless harm is caused to those persons. The parity principle may require reduction of a sentence even where the sentence is not otherwise excessive, where a more culpable co-offender received a significantly lighter sentence.
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