Game of Chance
Vegas judge ignores prosecutor, rolls the dice, gambles that accused con man will show up in court:
John A. Baldo allegedly conned New England seniors out of some $2 million to pay for gambling, carousing and strippers, but a Las Vegas judge is trusting the Andover man to return to Boston on his own.
Ignoring motions from prosecutors and the court’s own pretrial-services experts, U.S. Magistrate Peggy Leen released Baldo, 38, on personal recognizance yesterday.
The FBI arrested Baldo, a self-described financial guru to retirees, Thursday. Prosecutors allege he took the money elders entrusted to him and bought European diamond-encrusted watches and spiffy $100,000 sports cars.
Leen gave Baldo until Monday to appear before Hub federal officials, ordering the man to give up his passport and stay away from his wife, as she has requested.
Prosecutors had argued Baldo represented a flight risk and “economic danger” to the public if released. Alleged victims say Baldo is skilled in the art of deception and able to appear honest in a pinch.
It’s a calculated risk, but hey, if Baldo did what they say he did, that guy’s good for the house!
Topics: Uncategorized
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:22 pm on Saturday, January 27, 2007
One Response to “Game of Chance”
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January 28th, 2007 at 12:19 am
Are there no standards for judges these days? Obviously common sense isn’t among whatever standards there are.