Too bad for Martha she's not black. Otherwise, Johnnie Cochran would have saved her sorry ass.
I feel sorry for her future inmates though.
deleted user 05.03.2004 17:50
I don't believe shes guilty. The problem is that old Bushie Boy (George W.) didn't get poped for his role in ENRON. That is the crime here not Martha.
She is an easy target for people who want to make us forget about the other, far worse things going on here n the US.
I realize the seriousness of a crime like this, and the need to deter others from operating in the same manner, but to me this shouldn't be a crime which results in prison. Heavy fines and being barred from owning stock ever again would be punishment enough. You abuse the system, you lose the ability to use it again.
Prison time for a 60+ year old woman isn't going to accomplish a damn thing other than provide endless joke material.
"According to testimony, she once threatened to take her business elsewhere because she did not like her brokerage's telephone hold music."
I understand that 100%! My phone sex service uses 'Erotica' by Madonna while you're being connected, and I'll tell ya.. the last thing any horny person wants to hear is Madonna.
Martha may be a total bitch but I'll always admire her :)
And furthermore, this conviction wasn't even for the act of insider trading itself.. it was for covering up facts and lying after she'd been accused of that. She could very well be innocent but still did these things to try and make it look better for her case.
We need to concentrate more on keeping dangerous criminals in prison rather than uselessly imprisoning old ladies who might have done something a bit shady to save money.
The woman made over $40 Gs from an illegal act and then lied to the feds. 'Common folk' investors have to earn it the old fashioned way. And those who don't are going to jail, you just have to dig into page six of the business section to read about them.
The end result was the same as embezzlement, robbery, breaking and entering.....illegal gains by illegal methods.
The dominoes in Enron, Worldcom, etc are tumbling. Just give the men in black time to nail them all.
I have no sympathy for any of them.