Occupy Wall Street Activist Convicted of Assault Gets Three Months in Prison

Occupy Wall Street protestor Cecily McMillan, convicted on May 5 of assaulting a police officer, was sentenced to three months in jail today. That seems like a lot, but it could have been much, much worse: McMillan faced seven years.

Occupy Wall Street protestor Cecily McMillan, convicted on May 5 of assaulting a police officer, was sentenced to three months in jail today. That seems like a lot, but it could have been much, much worse: McMillan faced seven years.

McMillan contended that she elbowed Officer Grantley Bovell because he groped her breast during OWS' six month anniversary. Bovell said he touched McMillan's shoulder and she elbowed him in the face, giving him a black eye. The jury convicted McMillan of felony second-degree assault -- though nine of those 12 jurors wrote to the judge and asked that McMillan be shown leniency.

McMillan has been at Riker's Island since her conviction, when the judge agreed with the prosecutor's request that she be remanded into custody immediately. Pussy Riot paid her a visit.

She'll get credit for those two weeks, and could be released early on good behavior, per the New York Daily News. She also gets five years of probation.

"The court finds that a lengthy sentence would not serve the interests of justice in this case," Judge Ronald Zweibel said. But: "A civilized society must not allow an assault to be committed under the guise of civil disobedience."