By Melodi Erdogan
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan 28 (Reuters) - An elderly nun and two other peace activists are set to be sentenced on Tuesday on their federal convictions for damage they caused breaking into a Tennessee defense facility where enriched uranium for nuclear bombs is stored.
Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli, and Greg Boertje-Obed admitted cutting fences and making their way across the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in July 2012, embarrassing U.S. officials and prompting security changes.
The three were convicted by a federal jury last May of damaging a national defense premises under the sabotage act, which carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years, and of causing more than $1,000 of damage to U.S. government property.
Federal sentencing guidelines call for Rice, 83, to receive up to a little more than seven years in prison; Walli, 65, more than nine years; and Boertje-Obed, 58, more than eight years. The defendants have been in custody since their conviction.
Prosecutors have asked that the defendants receive sentences in line with federal guidelines. The defendants have asked for lesser sentences.
Bill Quigley, one of the attorneys of the defendants, said that all three are in good health, but that Rice, who turns 84 Jan. 31, is "freezing cold in jail."
"They're all in great spirits and they're very much at peace about being sentenced," Quigley said. "We're hoping for significantly less time. People are even praying and hoping they'll be released."
Defense attorneys argued in court documents that the three were "completely nonviolent" when they were arrested.
"They used the occasion to present symbolically their passion for nuclear disarmament," defense lawyers wrote.
The three activists have received more than 2,000 cards and letters of support from around the world.
Prosecutors contended the break-in at Y-12, the primary U.S. site for processing and storage of enriched uranium, disrupted operations, endangered U.S. national security, and caused physical damage that cost more than $8,500 to repair.
"The United States believes that the defendants should be held accountable for their deliberate choices and accept the appropriate consequences for their actions," prosecutors said in court documents.
The activists admitted cutting several fences, walking through the complex for hours, spray-painting slogans and hammering on the walls of the facility. When a guard confronted them, they offered him food and began singing. (Reporting by Melodi Erdogan in Knoxville, Tennessee and David Bailey in Minneapolis; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Eric Walsh)
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