NEW YORK (AP) — A former sports radio host charged with cheating investors to pay gambling debts will fight a newly filed indictment because he swindled no one and he’s a victim of the criminal misdeeds of another man, his lawyer said.
Attorney Robert Gottlieb said Craig Carton will plead not guilty next week to wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy charges in an indictment unveiled Friday in Manhattan federal court.
“The indictment is riddled with errors,” Gottlieb said in a statement. “Craig never intended to defraud a single solitary soul.”
Carton quit the “Boomer and Carton” show on WFAN in New York City after he was arrested in September on charges alleging he misappropriated at least $5.6 million from two investors. He had co-hosted the show with former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason for the last decade.
The 48-year-old Manhattan resident has remained free on $500,000 bail.
Gottlieb said his client has gotten a boost to his defense from the government, which sent him a letter two weeks ago identifying him as one of the victims of a man who has pleaded guilty to operating a fraudulent investment scheme.
“The purported victims in the indictment who invested with Craig had full access to his business records and he welcomed their due diligence before investing,” the lawyer said. “Craig will fight these charges with every ounce of his being but how does he ever recover his good name? He has been maligned unfairly but is confident that the truth will prevail and justice served once all of the facts come out.”
When Carton resigned from his radio show a week after his arrest, he called the work his “dream job.”
CBS, which owns WFAN, has said it is cooperating with authorities.
