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Show I I ""oQ;- 1.888-567-TRJTH j I - r-r , s - -I- , s - . .. , " - ' . 1 . it , '-, ! t i , " -! 'J' " - V : r -I '-. .... - : : . ' is - v j V . Local residents and members of TreeUtah turned out last Wednesday to plant trees at the edge of Panguitch. The trees were provided by TreeUtah through a grant which was applied for by the Panguitch Main Street committee. Those present at the ceremony included Meryl Redisch, Escalante Man Pleads Guilty Securities Fraud; Racketeering ST. GEORGE Escalante resident Frank P. Venuti entered a guilty plea May 29 in Fifth District Court in St. George to s three counts of securities fraud, each a second degree felony, and one count of racketeering, a second degree felony. Each count carries a potential penalty of 1 to 15 years in prison andor a fine of up to $10,000. He will be sentenced on July 17. S A preliminary hearing on Oct. 15, 2001 in the same court had resulted in 1 1 counts of securities fraud, one count of racketeering, two counts of theft (all second degree felonies) and one count of sale of unregistered securities, a third degree felony. A plea agreement reached with Utah State Assistant Attorney General E. Neal Director of TreeUtah and an employee, Panguitch Mayor Janet Oldham, along with city employees Dave Owens and Art Cooper, Panguitch Main Street board member and coordinator of the project Shawn Marshall and other volunteers from the Panguitch area. Gunnarson resulted in the reduced charges under which Venuti agreed to repay $509,000 in monthly payments to his victims. vic-tims. Originally there were some 80 alleged victims claiming claim-ing a loss of funds in excess of $900,000. Venuti 's plea agreement stipulates stip-ulates that if he is unable to make restitution by his date of sentencing in July, he will make monthly payments to the office of the Attorney General for disbursement dis-bursement to his victims. The amount of the payments will be specified by the Office of Adult Probation and Parole (AP&P) with concurrence by the Attorney General's office. At this point, the State of Utah remains silent on the issue of incarceration and will submit the issue to the court based upon a pre-sentence report prepared (See PLEA on page 6-A) Plea From Front Page by AP&P. Venuti agreed not to be self-employed self-employed nor to be employed in any business requiring him to handle other people's money. Neither can he be employed in any capacity associated with the sale of securities. Under terms of the agreement, agree-ment, Venuti agreed to provide AP&P with full information regarding his present financial status. and assets. The State will recommend that if he is granted probation or parole, it be for a minimum of 36 months and that, if full restitution resti-tution is not completed by that time, the balance be converted to a civil judgment in behalf of his victims. If Venuti, however, fails to make substantial restitution restitu-tion by that time, the State will ask that he remain on probation until full restitution is made. |