Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Cioffi, Tannin Go Free | Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, the former Bear Stearns execs charged with conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud in connection with the collapse of the two hedge funds they managed, were acquitted on all counts in federal court this afternoon. So much for the "first major test of a U.S. effort to obtain convictions tied to the subprime mortgage crisis and subsequent recession"! [Reuters]

Bernie Kerik Sent to Jail | Former NYC police commissioner Bernie Kerik is on his way to jail this afternoon. A judge revoked bail in his trial on conspiracy and fraud charges today after he concluded that Kerik could not be trusted to honor an order barring him from disclosing confidential information related to the trial. (The judge described him as a "toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance," which sounds about right.) Fortunately for Kerik, the trial is taking place in Federal District Court in White Plains, not in Manhattan, so he won't have spend the forseeable future confined to a cell in a building that was once named the Bernard B. Kerik Complex. That could have been a bit awkward. [NYT]

If you'd marked down October 19 as the day when socialite/publicist Ali Wise would finally appear in court to face charges she allegedly hacked into another socialite's voicemail earlier this year, please note that the prosecutors asked for a little more time to prepare their case today and the judge adjourned it to January 14, 2010. See you then!

Marshall Is Guilty | And the verdict is in: Brooke Astor's son, Anthony Marshall, was found guilty of more than a dozen charges moment ago, including grand larceny, which carries a mandatory prison sentence. Francis Morrissey Jr., Astor's estate lawyer, was convicted of forgery charges. [NYT]

Brooke Astor Decision Imminent | Put the paramedics on standby: Anthony Marshall's fraud trial should be coming to an in a few minutes: "Jurors in the epic Brooke Astor fraud trial told the judge Thursday they have a reached a decision in the case against the socialite's son, Anthony Marshall, and his lawyer buddy, Francis Morrissey, sources said. It's unclear if they reached a verdict on all 18 counts counts against Marshall and Morrissey - or just on some of the counts. It will be announced around 2:15 p.m." [NYDN]

Astor Jury Possibly Deadlocked | The jury in the Brooke Astor case has been deliberating for nearly three weeks now—and the trial itself went on for 19 weeks—but it's looking increasingly likely that the trial will end without a resolution. Jurors sent two notes to the judge today indicating they've been struggling to come up with a verdict, although the judge instructed them to "hang in there a bit longer" and go back to deliberating. [NYT]

The Brooke Astor Case Gets Even More Boring | The jury deciding the fate of Brooke Astor's son, Anthony Marshall, and Francis X. Morrissey Jr., the lawyer who handled her estate planning, has been at it for nearly a week now. (So much for those experts who promised deliberations would take an hour or two.) So it's no surprise that everyone connected to the case is pretty worn out and frustrated by now. But how is Marshall, himself, "coping with the uncertainty" that seems to be slowly driving everyone crazy? Pretty well, actually: "At one point last week, Mr. Marshall lay asleep on a wooden bench in the hallway outside the courtroom with a newspaper over his face." [NYT]

The Astor Case Goes to the Jury | After 19 weeks of testimony (or 20 weeks, according to the Daily News), jurors in the trial of Brooke Astor's son, Anthony Marshall, and lawyer, Francis X. Morrissey Jr. are expected to begin their deliberations later this afternoon. How long will it take to reach a verdict? Not all that long, since the 19 (or 20) weeks of testimony appears to have sorely tested jurors' patience. "I think there will be a lot of internal peer pressure to quickly reach a verdict so that they can all go home," says one law professor. [NYT, NYDN]

The Astor Trial Winds Down | After 19 weeks and 74 witnesses for prosecution, it looks like the Brooke Astor trial may be near its end. The defense began its closing arguments yesterday, and they continue today. The approach that Frederick P. Hafetz, Anthony Marshall's lawyer, is taking as he wraps up his case: Exploit the idea that jurors were needlessly forced to endure the painfully long trial. Instructing jurors to ignore the "diversionary evidence" and "keep their eye on the ball," Hafetz offered up a very simple approach for jurors to take: "You could say, 'Case closed, what were we doing here for all these weeks?'" [NYT, NYP]

Astor Trial Nears Its End | Remember the Brooke Astor trial? As soon as the posh witnesses stopped turning up, the affair seemed to fade a bit from public view, but the case continues and the court is now back in session after a two-week vacation. But the end may now be near: Lawyers for Anthony Marshall have indicated that they may rest their case in the next few days—and they may not even bother calling a single witness. Will jurors, who have been forced to sit through the testimony of hundreds of witnesses over the past 18 weeks, reward Marshall's speedy defense with an acquittal? Guess we'll find out sooner rather than later. [NYDN]

The Astor Trial Moves From Offense to Defense | After grinding on and on for more than three months, there's finally some light at the end of the tunnel for the poor jurors involved in the Brooke Astor case. The prosecution finally rested its case yesterday afternoon! (The jury was a bit taken aback by the good news, it seems: "Several jurors panned the room with widened eyes.") And now it's the defense's turn. Don't expect an endless parade of boldface names to take the stand in Anthony Marshall and lawyer Francis X. Morrissey's defense. The most exciting witness today was a representative from the paper manufacturer Crane & Co. [NYT/CityRoom]

The Astor Trial Drags On | The Brooke Astor trial started sometime in late 2005, didn't it? Or does it just feel like it's been going on forever? The Times reports today that the society trial, which was supposed to take 8-10 weeks, is now grinding into its fourth month and probably won't conclude until after Labor Day, primarily because prosecutors seem intent on calling to the witness stand every person on the planet who encountered Brooke Astor during the last few years of her life. The lengthy proceedings haven't been easy on the man accused of bilking his mom, Anthony Marshall. Not only has the stress of the trial caused him to collapse every other day or so, his defense is costing him about $100,000 a week. The jurors, however, seem to have adjusted just fine: "Members have taken to rolling their eyes when a lawyer draws out his line of questioning, napped during the dullest testimony or chewed sunflower seeds to pass the time." [NYT]

Astor Case's Latest Twist | Just when you thought the drama at the Brooke Astor trial had subsided a bit comes the news that "a knife-wielding woman" attacked the jury forewoman on the subway, and one of the alternate jurors riding in the same car stepped in to stop the assault and apprehend the attacker. The forewoman, who is described as a 44-year-old caterer, escaped serious injury, according to the judge, but she did "suffer some bruises and other minor injuries." The judge also said that the attack didn't appear to be connected to the trial. But how often you hear about knife-wielding female muggers on the subway? Let's hope someone has the sense to sit Charlene Marshall down for a nice long chat today. [NYT]

Astor Trial Goes Low-Glam | There's a reason why you haven't heard much about the Brooke Astor trial in recent weeks, according to the New York Times' A.G. Sulzberger: "[T]he parade of celebrity witnesses has come and gone, and as the testimony has narrowed to the observations of her hired help, the gallery has mostly thinned out to the usual suspects: reporters, lawyers and court employees." Celebrity witnesses may have left the building, but celebrity newspaper reporters are still on the scene, apparently. [NYT]

More Astor Drama | The Brooke Astor trial has been delayed. Again. Astor's son, Anthony Marshall, had to be rushed to the hospital today after he fell in the men's room, hit his head, and reported feeling dizzy. The bad news is that the trial has been suspended indefinitely. The good: Once his trial is over, Marshall will get to come back as the plaintiff in a slip-and-fall personal injury suit against the city. [NYDN, previously]