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Craig Carton, the former co-host of a sports radio show with former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, has stepped out of a court where he was convicted of cheating on Wednesday. to be disappointed with the verdict, while respecting it.
"I have to let it run now," said Carton. "I will go home and kiss my children and let my lawyers take care of the rest."
His lawyers announced their intention to appeal the jury verdict handed down by the Manhattan federal court. The sentencing was set for Feb. 27 for charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud. Although the charges carry a potential penalty of 45 years in prison, all sentences could be much less burdensome than that.
The verdict was delivered after five hours of deliberations that began Tuesday.
Carton, 49, from Manhattan, was for years Esiason's partner on WFAN's "Boomer and Carton" show. He left the program after his arrest last year.
He was accused of having swindled investors into a ticket reselling business.
Prosecutors said they spent the money of investors for their personal expenses, including their gambling debts and their landscaping bills.
US lawyer Geoffrey S. Berman said after the verdict that Carton had seduced investors by touting his contacts in the entertainment world and his ability to gain seats to attend events, including the concerts of Metallica and Barbara Streisand.
"As concluded a unanimous jury in Manhattan, Carton has talked everything," Berman said in a statement.
Berman said Carton had manufactured contracts for blocks of banknotes and spent nearly $ 7 million that he had collected from investors. The prosecutor said the jury had seen through "blatant cardboard lies" and held him responsible for a Ponzi-like ploy.
Carton's attorneys said at a trial lasting a week and a half that Carton was not a crook and that he had been assaulted by his former trading partner, Joseph Meli.
Meli was sentenced to six and a half years in prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to a $ 100 million bill selling commercial fraud.
The former co-host of the WFAN's "Boomer and Carton" show has clearly not reacted to the announcement of the verdict.
"I am obviously disappointed in the verdict today," Carton said shortly after leaving the courthouse. His lawyers had stated that he was not considering anything.
"I respect him," he said about the jury's decision.
After Carton's arrest, Esiason told Team Touch & Rich morning on Boston radio that he was "lost and a little heartbroken by everything."
In a statement at the time, Carton promised that "when this strange episode is over, I'll be back, stronger than ever".
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