Chris Webber
In September 2002, Webber was indicted on five charges, including obstruction of justice and lying to a federal grand jury, for having misrepresented his relationship with Martin. Each charge was punishable by five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He vowed to fight the charges.
Martin pleaded guilty to running an illegal lottery at the Ford Motors plant he worked at to provide proceeds for the players. Martin testified that he paid Webber $280,000 in cash and gifts, but as of January 2003 Webber denied receipt of money from Martin and maintained that he had testified truthfully to a grand jury in 2000 on such matters. Martin stated that there was always an understanding that the money would be repaid after the players became professionals. In the 2000 grand jury investigation, Webber had been asked about whether his off-campus apartment rent had been paid by Martin and whether he had received spending money, jewelry, clothing or a stereo. Webber generally responded by saying either that he could not recall or that he did not think he had received such gifts. However, prosecutors say that Webber, after turning professional, gave Martin ''a significant sum of money, in cash, as a partial repayment." In December 2002, Webber's father admitted he had accepted gifts and a small loan from Martin, which contradicted earlier statements. Prosecutors also accused Webber's aunt of lying about a meeting she had with Martin in the updated filing.
Martin's death largely took the air out of the federal perjury case against Webber. In July 2003, on the day before jury selection in the case was due to begin, Webber pled guilty to the reduced charge of criminal contempt in order to avoid a possible jail sentence. He admitted to having received and repaid $38,200. The deal was subject to a discretionary fine and possible classification of the infraction as a felony by the United States District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds who would rule in September 2003. In exchange for the plea all other charges were dropped against him as were all charges against his father. The charges against Webber's aunt had been dropped after Martin's death.[9]
that was self imposed.
please
