ACROSS THE NATION.

Sharpton gets 90 days in jail, hints at presidential bid

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Comparing his situation to that of inmate-turned-President Nelson Mandela, Rev. Al Sharpton said Thursday his current imprisonment has only galvanized his presidential plans.

A federal judge Wednesday sentenced the New York minister to 90 days behind bars for trespassing on Navy property as part of a May 1 protest against bombing exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.

Of the 11 other activists arrested with Sharpton, nine were sentenced to 40 days behind bars.

"Nelson Mandela went from prison to president," Sharpton said, referring to the former South African leader who spent 27 years in prison for his fight against apartheid. "I am determined more than ever to give serious consideration to running for president in 2004."

Sharpton made his comments in a statement circulated by his attorney, Sanford Rubenstein.

Sharpton was in a federal prison in the San Juan suburb of Guaynabo but was to be transferred Friday to a facility in New York, according to a U.S. Marshals Service source.

Sharpton was arrested May 1 and convicted of a misdemeanor. He was sentenced as a repeat offender because he had previous arrests for civil disobedience in New York.

At least 15 members of Congress signed a letter to Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft asking him to review the sentences, saying the protesters are being punished for their political views.