Opinion ID: 536999
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Virginia Proceedings

Text: 19 After the thirteen-count indictment came down in the instant case on October 14, 1988, Judge Bryan held arraignment on October 17 and scheduled the trial to commence on November 21. At arraignment, the defendants filed a motion to transfer the trial to Boston due to the similarity in parties, charges, and proof. According to the defendants, the Virginia indictment was very similar to the Boston indictment and was designed to achieve the same law enforcement objectives. On October 21, 1988, the district court denied the defendants' motion to transfer the case to Boston. The defendants filed many other pretrial motions, most of which were denied. 20 Trial commenced on November 21, 1988. Among other witnesses, ten disgruntled lenders testified at the trial. None of the defendants took the stand. On December 16, 1988, after a four-week trial, the jury returned verdicts of guilty on all of the counts with which the defendants had been charged. 21 LaRouche was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of five years as to each of the thirteen counts of conviction. The court ordered counts 1 to 4, 5 to 9, and 10 to 13 to run concurrently, so that LaRouche was sentenced to a total period of incarceration of fifteen years. Wertz and Spannaus were each fined $1,000 and ordered to serve five years imprisonment. Billington, Small, Greenberg, and Rubinstein were each sentenced to three years imprisonment and ordered to pay various fines.