Martha Stewart Refused April Deal To Avoid Prison

PR Newswire ^ | 3/7/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

Prosecutors Offered Martha Stewart a Deal Last April: Cop To One Count of Making a False Statement and Receive Probation and Continue to Work at Omnimedia, Sources Say

She Refused to Plead Guilty to a Felony

NEW YORK, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsweek has learned that the Feds gave Martha Stewart an opportunity to avoid prison. Federal prosecutors offered Stewart a deal last April to cop to one count of making a false statement, say several sources familiar with the offer. She would have received probation and could continue working at her company, they say. But she refused to plead guilty to a felony, and a defense source says the Feds couldn't guarantee she would stay out of jail.

And federal investigators say she could have avoided the entire mess if she had confessed in the beginning. Had she admitted wrong doing in early 2002, she could have gotten off with a $200,000 fine and no jail time, report Detroit Bureau Chief Keith Naughton and Special Correspondent Barney Gimbel in the March 15 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, March 8).

After a seven week trial, the jury deliberated for three days before convicting Stewart on all four counts.

One juror sobbed as the judge ticked off all the guilty counts. Martha's daughter, Alexis, doubled over in tears in the front row of the gallery. Alexis's husband John Cuti, also one of Martha's lawyers, buried his face in his hands at the defense table. Stewart stared straight ahead, showing no emotion.

Martha Stewart's case may set the new standard for judging fat cats who don't play by the rules, write Naughton and Gimbel. "We're now going to see the 'Martha test' as a fair punishment for white-collar crimes," says Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean of the Yale School of Management.

"This is going to have a strong influence on jurors from here on out." And legal experts say she'll likely go to prison for one to three years, probably at a minimum- security "prison farm."

[Reelect President Dubya]

I hope she doesn't win an appeal. This is about stealing and lying, not class warfare.

So you admit that this is not about insider trading, just a prosecutor manufacturing crimes during the course of a failed investigation into insider trading that did not exist?

[Hildy]

I am so torn about this. I do not think she should go to jail. Not for this. And I'm so angry at all the people here who are gleeful at the thought of her spending time in prison.

[jospehm20]

That is what the trial was for, to determine if she did something wrong.

[Howlin]

Running out of relevant replies, I see.

And coming from you, I take that as a compliment!

[Bluntpoint]

Time to make predictions on this Howlin vs. "whomever" thread.

I say it gets to 346 posts.

[Hildy]

Sometimes juries are wrong. Ask Mr. Goldman.

[pepsionice]

She kept believing her attorney. The funny thing...is that if Bill Clinton was around...she could have paid him off and got a pardon. GW might offer her a pardon...if she donates a heck of alot to his campaign, but I doubt that Martha wants it known that she gave to GW. LOL.

[Reelect President Dubya]

Time to make predictions on this Howlin vs. "whomever" thread. I say it gets to 346 posts.

Nah, I quit. It's like arguing with a fart.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

If Kerry gets elected, he'll pardon Martha. Hell, he'd probably want to marry her.

[BikePacker]

You're enjoying your weekend a lil' too much.

Martha has no grounds for appeal.

[freedumb2003]

Why do you think she will win an appeal?

Do you know what an appeal is? (hint: It is NOT a second shot just because you didn't like the verdict).

[Vision]

I'm not a lawyer and I don't know the details of the case but, I don't think she'll win on appeal. The charges seems severe and straightforward. Obstruction of justice and lying don't seem easily overturned.

[Howlin]

She had a chance NOT to go to jail, Hildy, but once again her smuggness got in the way of her dealing with what was going on here.

Why shouldn't she go to jail, because she's Martha Stewart? Don't forget, she's the one that set herself up "as" Martha Stewart.

She a common perjurer who didn't have the sense enough not to show up in court with a $12,000 pocketbook in front of the regular snookers who were going to decide her fate. She might as well have spit in their faces!

[11th Earl of Mar]

If Kerry gets elected, he'll pardon Martha. Hell, he'd probably want to marry her.

Only if her wealth rebounds. He does have standards, you know.

[winker]

The caste system has never been more clearly defined than in this case, yes it is class warfare "The Haves vs The Have nots!

[TomGuy]

That seems to be one of her biggest problems; she actually believes what she did was fine; leaving aside selling the stock, when she decided to lie UNDER OATH to the SEC, she sealed her fate

I might have more sympathy for her, except for these facts: She is a former stockbroker herself, and she even has (had) a seat on the Stock Exchange. With those credentials, she, moreso than the regular person-on-the-street, should have known what was legal, illegal, shady, etc. She wasn't just some commoner who happened to own a few shares of stock, got a tip, and got caught.

[aspiring.hillbilly]

Martha will find new things to do with a cucumber in the slammer... Yeah she diserved to be jailed, this bitchy democrat who the fat-assed bulldyke rosie o donnald sat in her court room for "moral support' a joke in intelf.. She thought arrogantly she is above the law, and totally deserves this hard fall...

[PeteFromMontana]

It probably wasn't greed. Sounds more like pride to me. "You can't touch me. I'm Martha!"

She's a Democrat, the rules are different for Democrats. They are above the law because they are so much smarter than the rest of us.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I have my fingers crossed... :)

[goodnesswins]

Hmmmm....wonder if OPRAH has had any "sweet" deals....if y'all get my drift.....NEXT.