Ousted Phar-Mor Inc. president Michael Monus, whose trial on charges of fraud and embezzlement ended last month with a deadlocked jury, last week was hit with a new indictment that revises the charges against the discount drugstore chain co-founder.
Like the former indictment, the new charges accuse Monus, 47, of masterminding a scheme that forced the Youngstown-based company to seek U.S. Bankruptcy Court protection.In the new, 109-count indictment, Monus faces 96 counts of interstate transportation of stolen property, five counts of wire fraud, two counts each of bank fraud, mail fraud and filing false income tax returns, and one count each of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
If convicted on all charges, Monus faces a maximum of 1,246 years in jail and $36 million in fines.
In the original indictment, Monus was charged with 118 counts of money laundering, four counts of wire fraud, two counts each of bank fraud, mail fraud and filing false income tax returns and one count of conspiracy.
A trial on the first indictment began May 31 and ended June 23 when the jurors told U.S. District Judge George White they were dead-locked. A decision on a retrial date was delayed pending an investigation into allegations that a juror was bribed.
Monus' defense lawyer, Gerald Messerman, said the new indictment came as a surprise and said his client was outraged. There was no immediate explanation for the changes in the charges.
Messages seeking comment from the U.S. attorney's office were not returned.