HELP! Martha Stewart needs us to write letters....more inside.
source:msnbc.com
Stewart asks friends to vouch for character
As sentencing looms, the entrepreneur turns to friends for help. Meanwhile, her daughter says Stewart feels 'everything she did is being ignored over something that maybe didn't happen.'
Martha Stewart is looking for friends to rally round and help with her sentencing. Stewart was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of agency proceedings on March 5 and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. Your money, fast.
In a letter to about 100 of her closest friends, obtained by The New York Daily News, the multimillionaire businesswoman says writing to the judge about her character is appropriate and would be helpful. The letter, headed “From the desk of … Martha Stewart” reads:
Many people have inquired as to whether they can help by writing to Judge Cedarbaum about my sentence. I am advised by my lawyers that it is appropriate to do so, and that they believe Judge Cedarbaum will conscientiously read everything sent to her. If you would be so kind to write such a letter, please include your opinion of my character, my work ethic, my integrity and my probity. If possible, include any memorable experiences you have had with me to explain the basis of any expressed opinion(s). ... I deeply appreciate all of your good wishes and encouragement. Of course, your support means a great deal to me and my family.
Still a chance at avoiding prison
The letter campaign is a standard presentencing tactic, defense attorneys say, because Judge Miriam Goldman Cederbaum has great discretion under federal sentencing guidelines. Technically, Stewart faces up to five years in prison on each of the four convictions, but most legal experts predict a sentence of no more than 16 months, with part of that time served in a halfway house.
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• Slate's guide to the Martha Stewart trial
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• Post your comments at the MSO Message Board
• Read Stewart’s statement at MarthaTalks.com
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But Stewart is expected to try to avoid prison altogether, and her letters are meant to show a life of 62 years of good deeds marred by a single indiscretion. She also plans an appeal of the convictions.
On her Web site, Martha Talks, Martha Stewart tells her fans that she is "heartsick" but fully committed to her company, which has picked up her $4 million legal and public relations tab.
"I will continue to provide creative inspiration for new product design and development, author two pending books (Homekeeping and Baking), make editorial contributions to our magazines and television programs, help build public profiles for the Company's core content experts, and provide input on the continuing evolution of the Company and its brands and on strategic issues," Stewart writes.
The site has logged more than 30 million hits since last June and generated nearly 140,000 supportive e-mails, Stewart said, with more than 35,000 of them coming since the verdict on March 5.
Supporters declared March 13 "Save Martha Day" and headed to Kmart (KMRT, news, msgs) to buy her Martha Stewart Living Everyday products. Apparently the effort paid off: Kmart, announcing its first post-bankruptcy profit, said today that the company had seen no "significant" impact on Stewart-branded housewares since the verdict.
Daughter speaks out
Last night, Stewart’s daughter Alexis told CNN’s Larry King that her mother feels her life was wasted and “everything she did is ignored over something that trivial, that maybe didn't happen." Stewart resigned from the board of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO, news, msgs) on Monday, taking the new title of founding editorial director.
Alexis Stewart, 38, told King her mother would not emerge from the ordeal bitter.
"She's too, ironically, forgiving and kind and — I know people don't know that, but she was incredibly generous and she gives too much, I think," the daughter said.
Alexis Stewart said she's not interested in taking over her mother's media empire, despite talk from supporters of the possibility.
-- Kim Khan WOULD MARTHA WRITE A LETTER 2 SAVE YOUR ASSS. HAAHAHAAAAA...INSTEAD I SAY WRITE A LETTER STATING WHAT A POS SHE IS. REGARDS, MONEYMADE. |
