Well, it was his mom who was caught with the corals. So I'm sure the feds said if you don't fess up to this then it will be your mother that will be punished. That was probably the plea deal. Fed time sucks too because there is no time off for good behavior. You have to serve all of the time. I had a friend who had to do fed time.
And yes, it a shame for all involved. I feel bad for their entire family.