Activists had been testifying on several sentencing days to his character. Attorney and prominent anti-torture campaigner Standish Willis explained how this particular torture survivor had rolled out of prison with what he said was an Energizer Bunny-like non-stop commitment to social justice. Rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli, among the most respected and socially conscious emcees, testified to their relationships with him and his tireless insistence that Black celebrities need to take responsibility for supporting their communities. Bertha Escamilla, Stephanie Weiner and many others took the stand to explain how total Patterson's focus on activism was during his eighteen months of relative freedom.

But none of that mattered to the state. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer handed down the maximum sentence of thirty (30) years to life for what Patterson explains (and has proof) as an attempted sting of law enforcement agents.