Bernie Madoff's Computer Programmers Indicted on Conspiracy, Falsifying Charges

-

Two former computer programmers who worked for notorious Ponzi scammer Bernie Madoff were indicted today on charges of conspiracy and falsifying records.

Jerome O'Hara, 47, and George Perez, 44, allegedly "developed and maintained computer programs that generate false and fraudulent records," the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said.

They are each charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of falsifying records of a broker-dealer, and one count of falsifying records of an investment adviser.

O'Hara's attorney Gordon Mehler told ABCNews.com, "We intend to plead not guilty and therefore Mr. O'Hara is presumed innocent even though it has been more than four months since he's been arrested."

An attorney for Perez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Madoff's former CFO Frank DiPascali, who pleaded guilty last August to multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, perjury and income tax evasion, has been cooperating with officials and reportedly provided information that led to the indictments against O'Hara and Perez.

In a court filing in December, DiPascali's attorney Mark Mukasey wrote of DiPascali's "fruits of&assistance" and said "information he provided contributed to the arrest of three individuals to date."

Mukasey identified O'Hara and Perez but didn't name the third party.

Federal prosecutors filed papers in late February indicating that DiPascali's cooperation with prosecutors will result in an "extraordinary letter" seeking leniency for DiPascali, who faces up to 125 years in prison. He remains behind bars because, even though prosecutors have asked that DiPascali be allowed to return to his New Jersey home prior to sentencing, the judge in the case has rebuffed their requests and set DiPascali's bail at $10 million.

If convicted on all charges, O'Hara and Perez face 30 years behind bars.

ABC News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Huge Japan Quake Cracked Open Seafloor

-
The March 2011 megaquake off the coast of Japan opened up fissures as wide as 6 feet (3 meters) in the seafloor, a new study finds. The fissures now scar the seafloor where peaceful clam beds once lay, according to Takeshi Tsuji, a researcher at Kyoto University in Japan . Along with seismic studies, the fissures, revealed by manned submersible vehicles that investigated the seafloor after the quake, show how the crust around the quake's epicenter expanded and cracked.
Read more

Index for a million documents on Polish Jewry to go online

-
Researchers of Polish Jewry are set to gain online access to more than 1 million new documents following an agreement signed by the Polish State Archives. Under the agreement signed last week, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland will receive indices to the documents from the Polish archives authority and place them on the website of the online database within one year, a JRI-Poland statement read.
Read more

A lot of the bread in the US will no longer be kosher

-
The largest baking company in the United States will be removing kosher certification from nearly all of its bread and rolls. Bimbo Bakeries USA confirmed to JTA that it will be removing the certification. The company produces brands including Arnold, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, Freihofer’s and others. Two of its major brands, Entenmann’s and Thomas, will remain certified kosher. So, kosher eaters, your crumb doughnuts and English muffins are still safe. A couple of rye breads also will retain their certifications. “Removing the kosher certification from some of our products was strictly a business-process decision to enable more efficient operations, and it was one we did not make lightly,” Bimbo said in a statement. “Thomas’ and Entenmann’s products as well as Arnold’s and Levy’s Rye Breads will remain kosher-certified. It is important to note that we have heard our consumers’ concerns and are working with kosher certification organizations and discussing alternative solutions.” The c
Read more