ALBANY -- The man who admitted to spreading mercury all over Albany Medical Center, because he was upset over his bill, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday.60 year-old Martin Kimber, of Ruby in Ulster County, accepted his sentence in Federal Court in Albany. On top of the sentence Kimber was ordered to pay $200,450 in restitution and will be on probation for five years after he released from prison. Kimber plead guilty in November to using a toxic chemical as a weapon. After being upset over his medical bills, Kimber drove the 100 mile round trip-- on four separate occasions-- to Albany Med to plant doses of mercury in the facility. Kimber spread the substance all over the hospital including the cafeteria, placing it in a toaster and on the salad bar. Several pounds of mercury was recovered at the hospital. Surveillance footage shows Kimber placing the mercury in a cooler.During sentencing Thursday Kimber's attorney, James Long, argued his client was a man of peace and he only did the things he did because 'he had a substance abuse problem.He does not need to be locked up and have the key thrown away, Jones told the Senior US District Judge Lawrence Kahn.Federal prosecutors called Kimber a smoldering time bomb waiting to go offsaying his drug and alcohol addictions were causing him to do harmful things.In a sworn statement Kimber said his goal was to shut down Albany Medical, prosecutors said.That obviously would have had extremely grave consequences for people who needed trauma treatment and other treatment at a hospital that takes care of an awful lot of people in this community, said Assistant US Attorney Craig Benedict.
