Congressman Backs British Woman Jailed for Husband's Advert Fraud
One of America's most
influential congressmen has taken up the case of a British woman facing 24 years
in jail for an "infomercial" fraud in which the victims were
reimbursed.
John Conyers Jr., the Leader of the House
Committee on the Judiciary, is considering recommending that President Bill
Clinton grant Chantal McCorkle clemency after a frantic week of examining her
case.
The Independent disclosed last week that
Mr. Clinton was being asked for a pardon for Ms McCorkle after Cherie Booth QC,
the human rights lawyer and wife of Tony Blair, expressed an interest in the
case.
Ms McCorkle, 32, from Slough, Berkshire, and her
Mexican-born husband, William, were jailed two years ago following complaints
from customers who bought their tapes and courses on how to make money from
buying and selling repossessed property. The most anyone lost was $2,000 (£1,350)
and all the money was repaid.
Congressman Conyers, whose committee oversees the
FBI and the Department of Justice, was asked to investigate the case earlier
this week by a campaigning Democrat, Karen McCarthy, who had been alerted to the
to it by supporters of Ms McCorkle. Within days, the Congressman is due to
present a list of people to the President whom he believes should be pardoned or
granted clemency.
Diane Forrester, Ms McCorkle's mother, said:
"This is wonderful news, but I'm not holding my breath. It is like winning
the Lottery; the odds are against it but the prize would be great." Last
year, there were 1,250 requests for pardon or clemency for federal criminals and
only 21 were successful.
The McCorkles were jailed for fraud and money
laundering after investigators discovered that some of the "satisfied
customers" in their 30-minute ad-programmes aired in the US were actually
actors, and a mansion, plane and car demonstrating the McCorkles' success were
hired props.
Under the US points system on sentencing, the
McCorkles totted up 40 points because $36m had flowed through the company,
Cashflow Systems Inc, over a five-year period – seven points more than a
second-degree murderer – and meant the least they could be sentenced to was 24
years with no chance of parole.
The case's prosecutor, Paul Byron, has said he
would have "no problem" if Ms McCorkle were sent to a British jail to
have her sentence amended in line with British policy on non-violent
white-collar crime.