Wave of the future...?

From a USA Today story about a New Jersey man arrested for shining a laser at a plane over his house:

He was charged with interfering with a flight crew under the USA Patriot Act. He also was charged with lying to federal officers. The charges carry a maximum jail sentence of 25 years.

While I have little sympathy for folks who paint low-flying aircraft with lasers, the implications of the sentence I emphasized bothers me. Martha Stewart is doing time for the same rap, after the initial charges against her fell apart.

Can we expect this to be a routine way of enforcing the law from here on out?

Cheers...