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Date Posted: 13:59:51 06/19/03 Thu
Martha's New Datebook Entry: Trial
by Joal Ryan
Jun 19, 2003, 12:30 PM PT
Today's Martha Stewart tip: When faced with a federal trial, haste does not make waste.
Appearing in a New York courtroom Thursday, the multimedia domestic maven agreed a delayed start for her securities fraud case would be a good thing. Accordingly, the judge penciled in January 12 for her trial launch. a d v e r t i s e m e n t
At issue is whether Stewart, 61, lied to the feds about the sale of 4,000 shares of drug-company stock in December 2001.
Stewart has pleaded innocent to the charges, which include obstruction of justice, conspiracy and fibbing. Her stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, faces the same five charges. Like Stewart, he has entered a not-guilty plea.
According to wire reports, Stewart was greeted by vocal, pro-Martha forces as she and her lawyers arrived on a drizzly Thursday morning in a pair of Lincoln Town Cars at the Big Apple federal courthouse.
"Stop the Persecution of Martha Stewart," read the sign held by one well wisher. "Martha Stewart Is a Good Thing," went another sloganeer.
Stewart, clad in a raincoat and toting a brown umbrella, did not acknowledge her perky peeps, per the Associated Press.
Inside the courtroom, Stewart warmed up, waving to sketch artists in an apparent attempt to get on the good side of the drawers who made her look uncannily like Jean Harris, of the infamous Scarsdale Diet murder, during her last bench appearance on June 4.
For the fashion record, Stewart appeared before the judge in a brown plaid jacket, slacks, dark blouse and color-coordinated necklace. No word on her choice of footwear, but we're betting on something tasteful, with just a hint of heel.
The Martha Stewart Living lifestyle guru kept busy through the hearing by scribbling in a notepad, the AP said.
Stewart spoke just once--when the judge pondered aloud if it would be best to waive her right to a quick trial in order to allow more prep time. Said Stewart: "I agree."
A November 18 hearing was set to go over pretrial motions.
Stewart's legal troubles date back to a December 27, 2001 phone call she received from broker Bacanovic, alerting her to movement on the pharmaceutical company, ImClone Systems, then run by her friend Sam Waksal.
Although Waksal last week received a seven-year prison term on insider-trading charges, Stewart herself is not accused of receiving, or acting on, one of Waksal's insider tips.
Rather, she's accused of lying about the specifics of her stock sale to investigators, and misleading investors in own her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, by downplaying the seriousness of the federal probe. (Stewart has since resigned as CEO of Omnimedia.)
According to an open letter posted on Marthatalks.com, a Website she launched in the wake of her indictment, the case boils down to this: "I simply returned a call from my stockbroker."
Stewart has vowed to fight to "clear my name." She is joined in her battle by the likes of Marie Ackerman, who sent Stewart one of the 55,000 supportive cyber missives her site claims to have received since launch.
"What a total waste for a woman of your stature to be going through this government nonsense now," Ackerman writes in an email posted on the site. "I wish you the best of luck, and I will be praying for you."
"Oh, by the way, to show my appreciation of your products today I shopped at [Kmart] and bought new Martha Stewart cushions for my outdoor furniture. They are beautiful."
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12012,00.html
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Martha's New Datebook Entry: Trial