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OK, I'll break it down for all of you: Martha Stewart has not been charged with insider trading. She is essentially being charged with "thought crimes." Seriously.
The Feds investigated Stewart for insider trading, and cleared her due to lack of evidence. Seriously.
But the Feds had taken a beating with all the corporate scandals and they needed a very public victory. They needed a scapegoat. So the Feds charged he with stock manipulation, saying that when she declared her innocence to reporters, her real intention was to bolster the share price of Marth Stewart Omnimedia, of which is was President, CEO, and a major shareholder. Seriously.

Who among us, when being investigated for a crime would not profess our innocence? I am not making this up. Anybody who examines the charges will see that the situation is that simple. So, no, I am no fan of Martha, but I definitely hope she gets off. So should you.

which brings up the question, if you have stock in company, or are a company officer, can you never plead not guilty, or deny liability? If the opposite is true, the mere fact that a charge is brought against you, would take away your constitutional right against self-incrimination.

Who among us, when being investigated for a crime would not profess our innocence? I am not making this up. Anybody who examines the charges will see that the situation is that simple.

It's not that simple. Lying to an FBI agent or the SEC is a crime, and within the financial it's taken quite seriously, a career ender. Even invoking your 5th amendment right could be near fatal to your employment. For a corporate officer I'm surprised she didn't plead this out, but I'm sure that would have been the end of her serving as an officer or on the board of any public corporation.

Harsh, maybe, though I don't think so, but I don't see it changing.