Craig Carton’s tentative trial date set for September 2018
Craig Carton exits a Manhattan federal courthouse on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2017. Carton was charged in an alleged ticket-resale Ponzi scheme that scammed more than $4 million from investors. Credit: Charles Eckert
Craig Carton said that he is looking forward to a “fast resolution” of his legal troubles, but it appears that barring a pretrial settlement the former WFAN host has a long wait ahead of him.
On Thursday Chief Judge Colleen McMahon set September 2018 as the tentative target date for Carton’s trial on federal charges of wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy.
That would be a full year since Carton was arrested on Sept. 6, a week before he resigned from WFAN, ending a 10-year run in morning drive time. Gregg Giannotti is to replace him as Boomer Esiason’s partner effective Jan. 2.
“I’m just looking forward to a fast resolution of the proceedings,” Carton said outside the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in lower Manhattan.
“Like I’ve said every other time I’ve been asked about it, my hope is that the truth comes out, and nothing more and nothing less. That’s what I expect and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Carton did not respond to a question about whether he was disappointed the trial date is so far in the future, but his lawyer, Robert Gottlieb, said, “It would be great if it could be over today.”
After prosecutor Brendan Quigley informed McMahon the evidence will include 100,000 documents, she said, “You guys can multiply paper like nobody’s business.”
Gottlieb then corrected the figure to 110,000 documents.
McMahon acknowledged lawyers for both sides, including Carton’s co-defendant, Michael Wright, who hired a new lawyer earlier this week, will require time to sort through everything.
She scheduled a pretrial conference for March 8, dates in mid-spring for pretrial motions and June 28 for a decision on the motions. Then she said a trial likely would begin in September.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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