| Jury selection for Fieger criminal trial a slow go
DETROIT -- Seating a jury for the criminal trial of Southfield attorney Geoffrey Fieger could take the rest of the week, a federal judge said today. Six jurors were seated in a prospective juror pool for the five-week trial today. U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman wants that pool to swell to 40 prospective jurors before prosecutors and defense lawyers use challenges to whittle that number down to 16 jurors so the trial can begin. Fieger, 56, and his law partner Ven Johnson, 46, were indicted in 2007 on conspiracy and illegal campaign contribution charges. Fieger alone is charged with obstruction of justice. Both have pleaded not guilty. The trial could last five weeks. .
Sentence overturned for fake Marine
The conviction and sentence of a Whitefish man who lied about having served in the U.S. Marines has been reversed by a federal appeals court in San Francisco.According to court records, William Horvath escaped from prison and was later captured with a firearm in his possession. When Horvath pleaded guilty to being a fugitive in possession of a firearm in July 2001, he told the court he had served in the Marines.
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Judgment day for Midyette
A mother convicted of failing to stop the child abuse that killed her son will find out today how long she'll spend in prison. A jury in December found Molly Midyette, 29, guilty of not preventing the death of her 10-week-old son, Jason. Her husband, Alex Midyette, 28, is scheduled to go on trial later this year on charges of child abuse resulting in death. Jason died in March 2006, when the family lived in Louisville. Molly Midyette faces a sentence of between 16 and 48 years. In a typical sentencing hearing, a defendant will admit guilt and make arguments about why he or she should receive a lighter sentence, said Pat Furman, a criminal defense attorney and University of Colorado law professor. But a sentencing hearing is trickier when someone maintains innocence.
February trial set for Schneiders
A federal judge on Tuesday set a Feb. 2 trial for a Haysville doctor and his wife who face 34 criminal charges related to their practice of distributing prescription pain medication from their clinic. District Judge Monti Belot said he initially intended to set a November trial for Stephen and Linda Schneider. But he delayed the case after prosecutors said it would overlap with another major trial in Topeka. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway said many of her office's resources would be tied up this fall in the retrial of former Westar Energy executives David Wittig and Douglas Lake, who are accused of defrauding the company. Their 2005 convictions were overturned by a federal appeals court, and Treadway said their 12-week retrial is scheduled to start in August.
Former U.S. Executive of Italian Marine Hose Manufacturer Agrees to Plead Guilty to Participating in Worldwide ...
Former Executive Agrees to Serve Jail Time WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A former U.S. executive of Manuli Rubber Industries SpA, a Milan, Italy-based marine hose manufacturer, has agreed to plead guilty and serve jail time for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market shares of marine hose in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today. A one-count felony charge was filed today in U.S. District Court in Houston against Charles J. Gillespie. Gillespie is a former regional manager responsible for the sale of marine hose of Manuli Rubber Industries SpA's U.S. operations based in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. area. Under the terms of his plea agreement, which is subject to court approval, Gillespie has agreed to serve 12 months and one day in jail, pay a $20,000 criminal fine and cooperate fully in the Department's ongoing investigation.
By BOB JOHNSON Register City Editor
A jury trial to decide murder and other charges against Rory Foster will start May 5. The trial here was confirmed Monday afternoon when District Judge David Rogers denied a defense motion for change of venue. Foster, 27, is accused of killing Briawna Hardrick, 19, in her apartment on the east side of Iola April 26, 2006. He also is charged with aggravated arson, aggravated battery, aggravated kidnapping, making a criminal threat, rape and aggravated criminal sod-omy. The murder and arson charges have to do with Hardrick, while the alleged victim in the other five is Iolan Rachel Reeder, who also was 19 at the time. Mike Brown, Foster’s court-appointed attorney from Mulvane, argued Monday morning that the trial should be moved elsewhere. He said newspaper reports — he cited 26 stories — in the Register made it difficult for Foster to have a fair trial in Iola.
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