Ozy Media co-founder Carlos Watson found guilty
Al Jazeera
The verdict held Watson accountable for ‘brazen crimes’ that were meant to keep cash-strapped Ozy afloat.
Former TV personality Carlos Watson has been convicted in a federal financial conspiracy case about Ozy Media, an ambitious startup that collapsed after another executive impersonated a YouTube executive to hype the company’s success.
Watson, 53, had been free on bail but was taken into custody to await sentencing after the verdict was announced on Tuesday.
Brooklyn-based United States Attorney Breon Peace said the verdict held Watson accountable for “brazen crimes” that were meant to keep cash-strapped Ozy afloat but ultimately sank it.
“The jury found that Watson was a con man who told lie upon lie upon lie to deceive investors into buying stock in his company,” Peace said in a statement, adding that the company “collapsed under the weight of Watson’s dishonest schemes”.
Peace’s office said a jury found Watson guilty of all the charges against him: conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Ozy Media also was convicted of the same conspiracy offences, the only charges the company faced.
