Martha Stewart has returned to court in New York to fight for her conviction
for lying about a share deal to be overturned.
The American lifestyle guru was released from prison in Virginia just two
weeks ago, after serving a five-month jail sentence.
But, despite her freedom, the 63-year-old and her legal team are determined
to fight her conviction.
Accompanied at Manhattan’s Federal Appeals Court by her daughter and her
lawyer Walter Dellinger, Stewart was sporting the monitoring bracelet she must
wear around her ankle.
Dellinger argued the conviction was unsafe because one juror lied on his
selection questionnaire and because an expert government witness allegedly
committed perjury.
Judge Richard Wesley–part of a three-judge panel–questioned the
prosecution on the first matter, asking, “Shouldn’t at least Ms. Stewart have
had her day in the courtroom to confront that guy and say why did he lie?
“The court needs to be careful to figure out why jurors might be
misrepresenting their backgrounds to get their 15 minutes of fame.”
(Story continues below…)
Prosecutor Michael Schachter insisted the judge in the original trial had
correctly applied legal standard and there was “no reason” to hold a separate
hearing.
Stewart was convicted last year of lying to federal agents investigating
the sale of nearly 4,000 shares in biotechnology company ImClone Systems.
After finishing her custodial sentence, she must now spend five months under
partial house arrest.
The appeal continues.
Article Copyright World Entertainment News Network All Rights Reserved.
