Former Philly Sports Anchor Guilty on All Counts
The jury came back in the trial against former Don Tollefson and it wasn't good news for the former Philly Sports Anchor.
The jury's verdict - guilty on all five counts!
The 11-day trial that ranged from dry recitations of his bank records to tense confrontations between prosecutor Matt Weintraub and Tollefson, who defended himself and maintained his innocence to the very end.
During the reading of the verdict - he faced charges of theft, money laundering and operating an unregulated charity, among others - Tollefson nodded his head as each "guilty" was announced.
"I think he's a good guy," said Eric Dreyfus, of Yardley, the jury foreman. "But the evidence was there."
Tollefson's sentencing will be scheduled at a later date, but Judge Rea Boylan said she would raise his bail because she was "concerned" about the fact that he withdrew a guilty plea before the trial.
Tollefson, 62, faces a maximum sentence of 37 years in prison, although state guidelines call for far less because he lacks any previous convictions. The minimum sentence listed for three of the counts is 9 to 16 months.
Tollefson could have avoided the trial. The prosecution offer him a deal that would have included about seven months in state prison and 14 months in drug-treatment programs. But Tollefson rejected it, saying he committed no crimes.
Employing a scheme that sold bogus sports travel packages in the name of charity, Tollefson fleeced legions of sports fans who admired him, charitable organizations that trusted him, and a slain police officer's family.
He made off with $340,000, money that police said replaced the $240,000 salary he lost when WTXF Fox29 fired him in 2008.
H/T Philly Inquirer