{"id":137917,"date":"2024-12-17T05:00:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T22:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137917"},"modified":"2024-12-17T05:00:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T22:00:48","slug":"carlos-watson-ozy-media-co-founder-is-sentenced-to-almost-10-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137917","title":{"rendered":"Carlos Watson, Ozy Media Co-Founder, Is Sentenced to Almost 10 Years in Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Carlos Watson, a co-founder of the now-defunct digital media company Ozy Media, was sentenced on Monday to almost 10 years in prison for trying to defraud investors and lenders by lying about the company\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The sentence came five months after a federal jury <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/16\/business\/media\/carlos-watson-ozy-media-guilty.html\" title=\"\">convicted<\/a> Mr. Watson and Ozy Media of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The jury also convicted Mr. Watson of identity theft, following a two-month trial during which witnesses detailed an impersonated phone call, fabricated contracts and misleading claims about Ozy\u2019s earnings from 2018 to 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Watson, who had pleaded not guilty and continued to assert his innocence up until his sentence of 116 months, faced a maximum of 37 years in prison. Government prosecutors had requested a 17-year sentence and $65.6 million in forfeiture to the government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe fact that we\u2019re here in this circumstance is tragic,\u201d said Judge Eric Komitee of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, who presided over the case and imposed the sentence. \u201cBut it\u2019s a tragedy of Mr. Watson\u2019s own making.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Watson started Ozy in 2013, publishing news articles and newsletters before venturing into podcasts and television productions. The start-up secured commitments from prominent investors at a time when digital publishers, like BuzzFeed and Vice, attracted billions of dollars in investments that largely didn\u2019t pan out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Throughout the legal proceedings, Mr. Watson denied the fraud allegations. In court, his lawyers argued that his representations to investors had been based on good-faith assessments of Ozy\u2019s finances, and they shifted the blame for any fraudulent activity onto other former Ozy employees. When he took the stand at his trial, Mr. Watson said that he did not intentionally inflate revenue estimates, but rather presented the types of service-based income typical of a \u201cscrappy young company\u201d in its early years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\"><noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"css-1b5b8u1\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<hr\/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. 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