FRANKFORT — After deliberating for two days, seven women and five men convicted William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr. of conspiracy and eight counts of wire fraud.
Shirley Cunningham Jr. (left), William Gallion (right)
This is the second trial for Gallion and Cunningham on charges that they took millions of dollars from 440 former clients in a 2001 fen-phen settlement. Their first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury deliberated for eight days but could not reach a verdict. Melbourne Mills Jr., who was originally charged with Gallion and Cunningham, was acquitted by the same jury.
Prosecutors say Gallion and Cunningham lied and deliberately told half-truths about what happened to the $200 million settlement so all of the lawyers on the case could keep the bulk of the settlement.
Defense attorneys said that Gallion and Cunningham knew little about class-action law at the time the case was settled. If mistakes were made ,those mistakes were unintentional, they argued.
Stephen Dobson, a lawyer for Cunningham, said there was little evidence or testimony that showed that Cunningham was directly involved in the negotiations of the settlement or how the money was disbursed after the case was settled.
WOW. The sentencing is what will determine how many wows I post next. LOL.
Mills should be right along with them.
And what was the reason Mills was acquitted? He was part of this trio from the beginning but “not guilty”?
Its about time!
Interesting that this jury only deliberated for 2 days while the previous jury deliberated for 8 days.
Wonder what Mr. Gallion’s crying girlfriend (the one banned from the courtroom) will do now that she has lost her cash cow? Get a job or find another old man to leach off of? (maybe - get the money stashed under the mattress?)
for me, it’s like my xmas and bday gift all rolled into one. i’m so glad. maybe they will get what they deserve!
Sad….very sad that the jury oouldn’t see that the real criminals in this case, STAN CHESLEY and REBECCA PHIPPS got off scott free!
This is so great!!!!! its been a long time comming!!!
Thank you Frankfort Juors, so glad you saw what the previous jurors
did not or wanted to see. This has been 8 long years and glad it has
come to a end. Now they will have to face the music and finially
the fenphen clients will get what is comming to them. Can’t wait to
see how long they will have to spend in jail. I bet Mills is glad
he got the juors from the last trial. Mills and Phipps and Chesley
should have been convited too.
THIS IS A GREAT DAY!!!
AND A BIG THANKS TO ANGELA FORD AND THE BAR ASSOCIATION!!!!
AND THE PROSECUTORS!!!!
And which of the myriad of lawyers in this case are representing Mr. Gallion’s handicapped son, certainly not Angela Ford.
This is grrrreatttttt!!!