Several news outlets, including the New Haven Register and ctpost.com, are reporting that laywer Shelley Marcus has testified that she never told members of the alleged pyramid scheme that their gifting tables club was legal while her firm represented them, though several witnesses have testified differently. Marcus, a Branford resident, was recently nominated to serve as a judge on the Superior Court by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
The 'gifting tables' trial began Jan. 24, 2013 and involves two Guilford women, Donna Bello and Jill Platt, who were charged last year as leaders of the gifting table. Bettejane Hopkins of Essex pleaded guilty to charges of a federal tax conspiracy offense stemming from her involvement in a the scheme.
According to ctpost.com:
Shelley Marcus took the witness stand Monday in federal court in Hartford in the trial of two Guilford women charged with running the scheme and defrauding participants and the IRS. Her testimony contradicted statements by other witnesses who said she and her father, former state Democratic Party Chairman Ed Marcus, told gifting table members that their activities were legal...
Malloy said recently that he will be reviewing Shelley Marcus' testimony to see if her nomination to the Superior Court bench should stand...
Shelley Marcus testified that she never told the gifting table members whether the club was legal or illegal and never gave input on whether the gifts were taxable. She said she warned the women that state gambling laws and securities laws might apply.
New Haven Register reporter Susan Misur also included a piece of Misur's testimony in her article.
