EDMONTON - A relative of two men convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of four Alberta Mounties says the men are appealing their sentences.

Shawn Hennessey, 29, and Dennis Cheeseman, 25, were sentenced last month after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Hennessey got 15 years, less credit for his guilty plea and the time he spent in custody, for a sentence of just over 10 years. Cheeseman was given 12 years, less the same credit, for just over seven years.

Barry Hennessey, Shawn's father, called the sentences ridiculous and said the family has filed an appeal with Alberta Justice without using a lawyer.

"I just don't understand the sentences they received. They got more time than Karla Homolka," Hennessey said Tuesday night from the family's home in Barrhead, Alta.

"It's just a no-brainer. This has been a terrible financial burden on the family, but it is a price worth paying."

Homolka got a 12-year sentence for her role in the murders of Ontario schoolgirls Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy in exchange for her testimony against Paul Bernardo, who is serving an indefinite prison sentence after being declared a dangerous offender.

The family has hired new lawyers and the two men, who were originally charged with first-degree murder, may also appeal their guilty pleas, he said.

Barry Hennessey said Cheeseman is to be transferred to Stony Mountain prison in Manitoba on Friday, which would make family visits difficult.

"He is just totally devastated. It is too far away."

He said there is speculation his son Shawn is to be transferred to the federal prison in Prince Albert, Sask.

Shawn Hennessey is married to Cheeseman's sister, Christine.

Barry Hennessey said if the men have to serve time, they should do so in Alberta.

During sentencing on Jan. 30, Justice Eric Macklin said short of drawing up the plan and pulling the trigger, Shawn Hennessey couldn't have been more help to Mountie-murderer James Roszko, who fatally shot the four Mounties.

Hennessey drove the known police hater to a farm and provided him with a rifle.

Macklin said that while Cheeseman was a virtual tag-a-long, he knew he was placing Mounties in mortal danger.

On March 3, 2005, Roszko gunned down constables Anthony Gordon, Peter Schiemann, Leo Johnston and Brock Myrol, then turned his gun on himself.

The two men had been scheduled for trial on four counts of first-degree murder but instead pleaded guilty Jan. 19 to four counts of the lesser offence of manslaughter.

After admitting guilt, Hennessey stood and tearfully apologized to the families of the victims, saying he didn't know his actions would lead to murder.

The sentence came close to what the Crown had asked the judge to impose. It was in the higher end of sentencing for manslaughter, which in this case carried a minimum prison term of four years and a maximum sentence of life because a firearm was involved.

The men had been arrested in July 2007 after confessing their involvement to undercover police in a controversial sting operation known as the "Mr. Big" scenario.

In the sting, police pose as members of a big-wheel crime ring. They draw in their targets, tossing gobs of money at them, and show them the high life of crime. Eventually, the target is urged to profess any and all crimes so that the crimes don't rebound on the ring.

The total investigation involved 300 officers over four years and cost $2 million.