Hunter: 'Not Guilty' 11 Times
Dublin Core
Title
Hunter: 'Not Guilty' 11 Times
Subject
Mail fraud
Description
William A. Hunter is charged with 10 counts of mail fraud and 1 count of bankruptcy fraud. Hunter pleads not guilty to all charges. Hunter's lawyer, Peter Hall, argues that these charges are being brought because the U.S. District attorney's office failed to find evidence that Hunter laundered money relating to drug trafficking.
Creator
Ballam, Ed
Source
Valley News Newspaper
Publisher
HIST 298, University of Mary Washington
Date
1997-07-15
Rights
The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source.
Format
2 JPGs
300 DPI
Language
English
Coverage
Burlington
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
[Heading]Hunter: ‘Not Guilty’ 11 Times
[Subheading]Judge Set Trial Date For Aug.18
By Ed Ballam
Valley News Staff Writer
[start of the first column]
BURLINGTON- In a clear, firm voice, Will Hunter pleaded innocent yesterday to 10 counts of mail fraud and one count of bankruptcy fraud during an arraignment on the charges in U.S District Court.
With his wife and 3-year-old son seated behind him, Hunter- who appeared in federal court before U.S District Court Judge William Session- said “not guilty” 11 times in a voice that resounded through the courtroom each time Sessions asked for his plea.
William A. Hunter IV, 43, of Cavendish, was indicted on the charges July 8. A 24-page indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury, alleged that Hunter, a lawyer, misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars of law clients’ funds for his personal benefit in fraudulent transactions between 1993 and 1996.
Sessions released Hunter on personal recognizance bail and set trial for Aug. 18.
Sessions did not honor a request by Assistant U.S Attorney Paul V. Vande Graaf, who asked the judge to prohibit Hunter from holding any third-person trust accounts as a fiduciary agent.
Hunter’s lawyer, Peter Hall of Rutland, objected to request, indicating that Hunter is a trustee of a number of trust funds. In some cases, he said, it would be a hardship for the people he assists to find new trustees.
Van de Graff told Sessions that at least one of the trust funds Hunter manages is the source of one of the criminal fraud charges against him. He said the owners of the trust funds may misunderstand the charges against Hunter.
Sessions ordered Hunter to obtain written waivers within the next 10 days from each of the clients he serves as trustee, outlining the responsibilities as trustee. He is to file the waivers with the court.
Sessions also imposed many of the standard conditions of release in federal arraignments, including that Hunter restrict his travels to the continental United States, maintain his residence in Cavendish and not
(Continued on page A5)
-Hunter
[end of first column]
[image] Valley News- Medora Hebert
[caption] Will Hunter of Cavendish and his attorney Peter Hall talk to the media outside U.S. District Court in Burlington after Hunter pleaded not guilty.
[start of second column]
(Continued from page A1) imbibe alcohol excessively or take illegal drugs.
Hunter also allowed Hall, a former assistant U.S Attorney, to file his appearance in the case, for the arraignment only, and reserved the right to have a different lawyer represent his case.
In a brief interview after the arraignment, Hunter declined to comment on whether he plans to represent himself in the fraud case, but said it would be within his rights to do so.
Hunter, a graduate of Harvard Law School who is a former Rhodes Scholar and state senator, practiced law for more than 10 years before voluntarily surrendering his license in January 1996 during an investigation by the Professional Conduct Board of his law practice.
Hunter is appealing to the Vermont Supreme Court a recommendation by the conduct board that his license to practice law be suspended for three years. The Supreme Court’s decision is pending.
During a brief news conference in front of the federal court building after the arraignment, Hunter declined to talk about the specifics of the chargers.
He also declined to talk about who will be handling the case on his behalf.
“We’ll be ready for trial on August 18, if that’s when the trial is going to be held,” Hunter said. “… One of the greatest things about the justice system is I’m innocent until I’m proven guilty.”
Hunter excused himself at one point during the
[end of second column]
[start of third column]
news conference to take his 3-year-old son, Sammy, to play in the public fountain down the street from the courthouse.
Hall said during the news conference that the charges, the product of an investigation that lasted more than two years, are not the ones for which the U.S Attorney’s Office was granted a search warrant when Hunter’s home and law office were searched at 3 a.m. on June 9, 1995, by federal authorities who were looking for evidence supporting the allegations that Hunter laundered money from drug trafficking. That allegation was contained in affidavits filed before the search. Hunter, however, has not been charged with that offense.
“There was not a basis for the underlying investigation,” Hall said. “…The charges are what they are and we entered a full-force not guilty.”
Hunter’s wife, April Hensel, read a letter, dated Sunday, to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, in which Hensel asks Reno to investigate “the manner in which the matter of my husband has been handled by the United States Attorney’s office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.”
Reading from the letter to Reno, Hensel said the indictment against her husband is a “face saving move by my government, taken after the investigation failed to produce evidence that would support the original charges and after the government decided it would not admit its mistake in light of the media attention that had been given to this case.”
Assistant U.S Attorney James Gelber, who also
[end of third column]
[start of fourth column]
sat in during yesterday’s arraignment hearing, deferred all questions to U.S. Attorney Charles Tetzlaff, who did not attend the arraignment, but did sign the indictment.
In a brief interview outside his office in the same federal building after the arraignment, Tetzlaff said he would not comment on “why we bring charges and why we do not bring charges.”
Tetzlaff also declined to comment on the specifics of the case, or what Hunter allegedly did with the money the government says he misappropriated.
“The evidence will reflect the exact dollar amount used for the benefit of Mr. Hunter,” Tetzlaff said.
In interviews last week, Tetzlaff said the indictment alleges a complex shuffling of money where trust fund accounts were “commingled” and embezzled for Hunter’s personal benefit.
Yesterday, Tetzlaff said the “most (clients) have been repaid,” but declined to say how many people may have lost money or how much money is missing.
“The system will do it’s job,” Tetzlaff said.
In response to questions from the media, Tetzlaff said he would not comment on whether Reno, who was in Burlington Saturday to help the Vermont State Police celebrate its 50th anniversary, was consulted regarding the Hunter case and whether she had input on which charges were filed against Hunter.
“I would have no comment on how we do things here procedurally,” Tetzlaff said.
[end of article]
[Subheading]Judge Set Trial Date For Aug.18
By Ed Ballam
Valley News Staff Writer
[start of the first column]
BURLINGTON- In a clear, firm voice, Will Hunter pleaded innocent yesterday to 10 counts of mail fraud and one count of bankruptcy fraud during an arraignment on the charges in U.S District Court.
With his wife and 3-year-old son seated behind him, Hunter- who appeared in federal court before U.S District Court Judge William Session- said “not guilty” 11 times in a voice that resounded through the courtroom each time Sessions asked for his plea.
William A. Hunter IV, 43, of Cavendish, was indicted on the charges July 8. A 24-page indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury, alleged that Hunter, a lawyer, misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars of law clients’ funds for his personal benefit in fraudulent transactions between 1993 and 1996.
Sessions released Hunter on personal recognizance bail and set trial for Aug. 18.
Sessions did not honor a request by Assistant U.S Attorney Paul V. Vande Graaf, who asked the judge to prohibit Hunter from holding any third-person trust accounts as a fiduciary agent.
Hunter’s lawyer, Peter Hall of Rutland, objected to request, indicating that Hunter is a trustee of a number of trust funds. In some cases, he said, it would be a hardship for the people he assists to find new trustees.
Van de Graff told Sessions that at least one of the trust funds Hunter manages is the source of one of the criminal fraud charges against him. He said the owners of the trust funds may misunderstand the charges against Hunter.
Sessions ordered Hunter to obtain written waivers within the next 10 days from each of the clients he serves as trustee, outlining the responsibilities as trustee. He is to file the waivers with the court.
Sessions also imposed many of the standard conditions of release in federal arraignments, including that Hunter restrict his travels to the continental United States, maintain his residence in Cavendish and not
(Continued on page A5)
-Hunter
[end of first column]
[image] Valley News- Medora Hebert
[caption] Will Hunter of Cavendish and his attorney Peter Hall talk to the media outside U.S. District Court in Burlington after Hunter pleaded not guilty.
[start of second column]
(Continued from page A1) imbibe alcohol excessively or take illegal drugs.
Hunter also allowed Hall, a former assistant U.S Attorney, to file his appearance in the case, for the arraignment only, and reserved the right to have a different lawyer represent his case.
In a brief interview after the arraignment, Hunter declined to comment on whether he plans to represent himself in the fraud case, but said it would be within his rights to do so.
Hunter, a graduate of Harvard Law School who is a former Rhodes Scholar and state senator, practiced law for more than 10 years before voluntarily surrendering his license in January 1996 during an investigation by the Professional Conduct Board of his law practice.
Hunter is appealing to the Vermont Supreme Court a recommendation by the conduct board that his license to practice law be suspended for three years. The Supreme Court’s decision is pending.
During a brief news conference in front of the federal court building after the arraignment, Hunter declined to talk about the specifics of the chargers.
He also declined to talk about who will be handling the case on his behalf.
“We’ll be ready for trial on August 18, if that’s when the trial is going to be held,” Hunter said. “… One of the greatest things about the justice system is I’m innocent until I’m proven guilty.”
Hunter excused himself at one point during the
[end of second column]
[start of third column]
news conference to take his 3-year-old son, Sammy, to play in the public fountain down the street from the courthouse.
Hall said during the news conference that the charges, the product of an investigation that lasted more than two years, are not the ones for which the U.S Attorney’s Office was granted a search warrant when Hunter’s home and law office were searched at 3 a.m. on June 9, 1995, by federal authorities who were looking for evidence supporting the allegations that Hunter laundered money from drug trafficking. That allegation was contained in affidavits filed before the search. Hunter, however, has not been charged with that offense.
“There was not a basis for the underlying investigation,” Hall said. “…The charges are what they are and we entered a full-force not guilty.”
Hunter’s wife, April Hensel, read a letter, dated Sunday, to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, in which Hensel asks Reno to investigate “the manner in which the matter of my husband has been handled by the United States Attorney’s office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.”
Reading from the letter to Reno, Hensel said the indictment against her husband is a “face saving move by my government, taken after the investigation failed to produce evidence that would support the original charges and after the government decided it would not admit its mistake in light of the media attention that had been given to this case.”
Assistant U.S Attorney James Gelber, who also
[end of third column]
[start of fourth column]
sat in during yesterday’s arraignment hearing, deferred all questions to U.S. Attorney Charles Tetzlaff, who did not attend the arraignment, but did sign the indictment.
In a brief interview outside his office in the same federal building after the arraignment, Tetzlaff said he would not comment on “why we bring charges and why we do not bring charges.”
Tetzlaff also declined to comment on the specifics of the case, or what Hunter allegedly did with the money the government says he misappropriated.
“The evidence will reflect the exact dollar amount used for the benefit of Mr. Hunter,” Tetzlaff said.
In interviews last week, Tetzlaff said the indictment alleges a complex shuffling of money where trust fund accounts were “commingled” and embezzled for Hunter’s personal benefit.
Yesterday, Tetzlaff said the “most (clients) have been repaid,” but declined to say how many people may have lost money or how much money is missing.
“The system will do it’s job,” Tetzlaff said.
In response to questions from the media, Tetzlaff said he would not comment on whether Reno, who was in Burlington Saturday to help the Vermont State Police celebrate its 50th anniversary, was consulted regarding the Hunter case and whether she had input on which charges were filed against Hunter.
“I would have no comment on how we do things here procedurally,” Tetzlaff said.
[end of article]
Original Format
Newspaper
Contributor of the Digital Item
Ryan, Briana
Student Editor of the Digital Item
Dickinson, Terra
Files
Citation
Ballam, Ed, “Hunter: 'Not Guilty' 11 Times,” HIST299, accessed July 4, 2024, http://hist299.umwhistory.org/items/show/271.