“President Trump on Friday commuted the sentence of Carlos Watson, a co-founder of the now-defunct digital media company Ozy Media, on the day he was set to surrender to prison,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Watson was sentenced in December to almost 10 years in prison for trying to defraud investors and lenders by lying about the company’s finances. He was sentenced after a federal jury last summer convicted Mr. Watson and Ozy Media of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The jury also convicted Mr. Watson of identity theft, after a two-month trial during which witnesses detailed an impersonated phone call, fabricated contracts and misleading claims about Ozy’s earnings from 2018 to 2021.”
“A federal judge had also ordered Mr. Watson and Ozy to pay $96 million in restitution and forfeiture. As part of Mr. Trump’s commutation, Mr. Watson and Ozy no longer have to pay those financial penalties, the people said.”
Earlier for members: The Fall of Carlos Watson
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