| St. George friends sticking up for Johnson before hearing | |
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David DeMille ddemille@thespectrum.com The Spectrum | |
ST. GEORGE - Southern Utah supporters are vouching for St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson, saying the man accused of running a massive online financial scheme deserves due process and the right to his freedom as he awaits trial. Johnson faces a detention hearing in Salt Lake City Monday, where a federal court judge will decide whether the 35-year-old should remain incarcerated awaiting trial on felony mail fraud charges. Johnson was already facing civil charges from the Federal Trade Commission that he and business partners took in $350 million over the past decade as part of a large-scale online fraud scheme when he was arrested on the criminal mail fraud charges last month. Prosecutors charge that in a move related to his online businesses, Johnson's companies illegally sold CDs through the mail that offered to show people how to apply for government grants to help them pay for personal expenses. Johnson pleaded not guilty to the fraud charge in a hearing on Thursday, and the court assigned Salt Lake attorney Nathan Crane to serve as public defender. If convicted, Johnson could face 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. While the FTC complaint brands Johnson as the criminal "mastermind" of an enterprise that bilked hundreds of thousands of consumers out of their money, Johnson still has plenty of support back home, where he was a rescue pilot and major donor to numerous local entities. On Saturday, Johnson's attorneys filed 70 pages worth of letters from members of the Southern Utah community - family and friends but also bankers, businessmen, members of nonprofit agencies and other community leaders - endorsing his character and testifying that they would not consider Johnson a flight risk. "The idea that Jeremy Johnson could ever be considered a flight risk is preposterous for those of us lucky enough to have been able to rub shoulders with this man," wrote former Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith, who on many occasions worked with Johnson on search and rescue missions, where his helicopters proved an invaluable tool. Johnson grew up in Utah, has his family in Utah, and has never shown any evidence that he intends to run, said Travis Marker, Johnson's St. George attorney. "He always intended to remain in Utah, his home base," Marker said. Federal prosecutors are suspicious, however, especially after Johnson was arrested in June at a Phoenix airport with $26,400 cash on hand and a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. Melodie Rydalch, public information officer for the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Salt Lake City, said prosecutors consider Johnson a "flight risk and economic danger to the community." Marker, argued that when Johnson was arrested he was carrying the cash for business, since wiring the money to Costa Rica may have been difficult. Marker said Johnson regularly travels one-way because it is cheaper than if he has to change return dates. Johnson's attorneys have maintained that their client has run a legitimate business, and that they will be able to show it in court. They also contend that Johnson has shown no evidence that he might be a flight risk, since his family and close friends reside in Utah. Court documents also allude to a home in Costa Rica and property in Belize and the Philippines as evidence Johnson might run, but Marker said those properties aren't factors. He said Johnson has a lease on the home in Costa Rica, a piece of property without any structures in Belize, and nothing in the Philippines after the property was sold. U.S. Magistrate David Nuffer will preside over the hearing, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. | |
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TheSpectrum.com Originally published July 10, 2011 | |
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