Martha's offering up serving of humble pie (Stewart begs for mercy)

New York Daily News ^ | Jan. 25, 2003 | Greg Smith

[mountaineer]

Martha is begging for mercy.

Martha Stewart sent her lawyers for a personal sitdown with Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jim Comey this week to ask him not to file criminal charges against her, the Daily News has learned.

The private face-to-face meeting took place Thursday in Comey's downtown Manhattan offices overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Two sources said Stewart's hired guns, including high-profile lawyer Robert Morvillo, made the last-ditch move after federal securities regulators warned Stewart they were ready to file civil charges against her.

Punished enough

The lawyers tried to convince Comey that it would be sufficient punishment for Stewart to pay a civil fine and that filing criminal charges - given how little she gained from the deal - would be overkill, the sources said.

Defense lawyers often request a meeting with prosecutors when they fear or know their client is about to be charged.

[StriperSniper]

given how little she gained from the deal

Go easy on me since the bank didn't have much money in it when I robbed it.

[basil]

I would be more impressed if the feds had ever gone after miss hitlery for her commodities trading shenanagins!

[onedoug]

Put her to work in a soup kitchen every day for a few years. She could make oh, such delightful creations for the indigent.

[mountaineer]

Please don't put me in jail!

[billorites]

What a heifer.

[SamKeck]

If jail's good enough for Leona Helmsly, it's good enough for Martha.

[Numbers Guy]

There's that old saying "be careful on how you treat people on your way up, because you're going to be meeting them again on your way down."

Everything I've read indicates that she treats everyone like doormats, and now she's seeing, in her time of trouble, just how few friends she has. Good riddance.

[zarf]

A crook is a crook but a rich crook is still rich after they are "punished".

The filthy rich don't do time and they don't suffer financially. There is no such thing as punishment for them.

Martha will come back stronger than ever.

[blackdog]

Notice "civil charges", not felony charges.

[mountaineer]

The lawyers tried to convince Comey that it would be sufficient punishment for Stewart to pay a civil fine and that filing criminal charges - given how little she gained from the deal - would be overkill, the sources said.

I hope Martha hasn't given so much money to the Democrats (over $200K in 2000) that she won't have enough left over for her fines, whether civil or criminal!

[guitfiddlist]

Martha Stewart sent her lawyers for a personal sitdown with Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jim Comey this week to ask him not to file criminal charges against her

Oh...so that's all it takes. Screw the law, screw what happens to "regular" people who go to jail for far less...Martha Antoinette will just send her lawyers over to request exemption from the law.

Nuke the frikkin' *itch.

[StriperSniper]

If convicted she will be banned from serving as an officer of an exchange listed company, even her own. That is what this is about, not so much jail or fines.

[bellagio_jo]

What was unethical about her so-called, insider trading?

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/padilla1.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/kondaks3.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/hein2.html

I think one should always consider the libertarian point of view in these issues. There has been considerable points made against the criminalization of insider trading. So how about it? Before we throw someone in prison, let's have a rational debate about it. Read those links and then get back here with a refutation or apology.

[rolling_stone]

What happened to her claims on innocence?

[exlibris]

Yes, there does seem to be a bit of a, shall we say, disparity there, doesn't it?

[LO_IQ]

The filthy rich don't do time and they don't suffer financially. There is no such thing as punishment for them.

I agree.

Another reason to become wealthy. Middle class people get screwed most of the time.

[Paul Atreides]

Wasn't Hillary's defense on Whitewater that they lost money on the deal?

[FoxGirl]

[poet]

"Screw the law, screw what happens to "regular" people who go to jail for far less...Martha Antoinette will just send her lawyers over to request exemption from the law."

Why not? The clintons and their gang of thieves, and, possibly traitors, have gotten away with far worse.