Martha Stewart Guilty!

Avatar for catwoman1977
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-28-2003
Martha Stewart Guilty!
83
Fri, 03-05-2004 - 3:11pm

WOW!  I guess I'm surprised Martha Stewart was found guilty on all four counts.  I figured she'd get a slap on the wrist, at most.   Anyone think she'll do jail time?   Is this a *good thing* ?  


Cat    :)


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

  
 <

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 10:50am
Do you feel bad for all those people that had to buy her shares of Imclone before it tanked, and who probably lost money that they could not afford to lose?

I think that in addition to the jail time, they should impose a very severe fine on Martha Stewart (say in the range of $2,000,000) and then use part of that money to make the investors who bought her shares of the stock, whole again (I know that is impossible, but in a perfect world, it is the right thing to do).

What she did is even more wrong because she was a licensed stock broker, and knew the laws and regulations pertaining to inside information. There is no excuse for what she did, and she did injure other people with her actions, just not physically.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-18-2003
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 11:18am
Remember the most important charge against her was thrown out of court? That in itself does not seem legal. It does not seem justified that if you were charged with something that is considered a crime that it can simply be thrown out of court?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2004
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 1:13pm
I believe that if she would have been a man she would have got off or we never would have heard about it.But my big problem with this is and first of all I heard on the news that she got 20 yrs but anyways my problem is that most child molesters and rapist don't get that much time and if the do the let them out on a early release. Those are the types of cases we really need to hear about but no we hear about some millionaire lying and sentenced to 20 yrs.Where is the justice in that! Most people lie for one reason or another and although it is wrong we need to start focusing on more important issues than that. All i keep hearing in the news is a child being abducted or women being raped. Aren't those the more pressing issues? Why is it that in are justice system murders and rapist and child molesters are set free to do it agian but a person that lies is going to serve 20 yrs in prison for it. I'm sorry if I bored you but it feels good to finally get that off my chest.

thank you

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-10-2004
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 2:41pm
I agree MS's arrogance and greed was her downfall. And her/her defense's willingness to let someone take the fall appaling because she essentially she had no defense. And do we really think anyone as anal-retentative as she would not "remember" or have documented the events. However, her compromised values are not what she should be prosecuted for. Anyone watching "The Apprentice"? Stepping on the heads of others -- real or fabricated -- is a cultural ideal, the "American Way" appreciated by the "big boys". "Boys" being the operative word. I don't think it is nonesense that the level and intensity of the prosecution has nothing to do with being a powerful woman. Do we really think Donald Trump or any number of big players have not had the same kind of information and have not acted accordingly from time to time. I don't think the SEC would have gone out of their way to prosecute so vigorously such an infraction. Ask Hilary and Oprah if they aren't special targets just because of their power (perceived or real)? Do you think Dick Cheney and the current Haliburton management will receive anything more than legal "tsk tsk"...even if they pay huge fines...the profits of their endeavors will be substantially greater. Most of public doesn't even understand the issue except superfically and really doesn't care anyway (unless of course, rising gas prices can be directly linked!) We women are so naive.....the boys have their own set of rules -- good,bad or indifferent to morality or ethics or even good business. But the point is the don't like "big girls" on the playing field and they will go to extreme links to make it unattractive and scary to be there! MS should have know that!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-05-2003
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 6:04pm

Remember the most important charge against her was thrown out of court? That in itself does not seem legal. It does not seem justified that if you were charged with something that is considered a crime that it can simply be thrown out of court?

How do so many people have absolutly no idea how our court system works, how do people honestly believe that a judge would just throw something out illegally because he "likes" martha or some other such foolishness.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-22-2004
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 7:14pm
My freinds keep making fun of me because A) I keep bringing it up and B) I keep insisting we go to KMart to stock up on Martha Stewart Lable merchandice.(sales anyone?!)

I just really think she is a clever lady and am really annoyed that TV stations dont want her on the air anymore b/c she sold some stocks. C'mon!!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-07-2004
Thu, 03-11-2004 - 12:32am
I`m sorry your gonna get upset,but it seems like you already are!you just sound like a professional victim!you sound like a success hater get a life or start one !Sorry
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Thu, 03-11-2004 - 3:58pm
I too am surprised that Martha S. was found gulty! I am hazy about insider tradeing, it seems to me when one is buying anything,one has the right to change her mind.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Thu, 03-11-2004 - 6:56pm
All I can say is Martha Stewart should have taken the plea-bargain to avoid prison time. She obviously did lie about selling her stock the day before it was going to go down in value. She just should have admitted that she did know when to sell it so she wouldn't lose her money. What she lost was only a drop in the bucket. I like Martha Stewart, and enjoy watching her shows, and buying her wonderful products. But I was disappointed in her. If she had admitted to lying in the first place, she would have gotten a slap on the wrist. Her defense attornies only brought one witness to the stands in her defense. Maybe this mess will make her realize that the truth is a "good thing". I hope she doesn't get prison time, but that probably won't happen.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 03-12-2004 - 9:55am
First, they never charged her with insider trading.

The charges that were dropped were the fraud charges, which stemmed from her lying to supposedly prop up her company's stock (that was a pretty stupid charge to me in the first place)

Second....>> What Did She Really do Wrong?

She used information that no other investors had so she could sell the stock before the stock's bottom fell out. What she did was hurt the investors who then bought her shares and got clobbered. As a former stock broker she should have known that what she did was wrong, and should never have done it in the first place. She could afford to lose $250,000 where some of the people who may have bought the shares in Imclone that she sold probably could not afford to lose the money that they did. Big difference.

Pages