Former Charter COO David Barford pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a 2001 scheme to inflate Charter’s subscriber numbers. He cut a deal to testify against former CFO Kent Kalkwarf and former svp James Smith, who are awaiting trial on Feb 7. In return, 13 other counts against Barford were dropped. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or a fine of $250K at his March 11 sentencing. "Mr. Barford’s guilty plea and his agreement to testify at the upcoming trial is a very significant development for the case," said US Atty James Martin. Former Charter svp David McCall pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July ’03, and is awaiting sentencing. "Charter declines specific comment on Mr. Barford’s guilty plea since his employment was terminated in Dec ’02 following an internal investigation. As such, his plea will have no impact on our operations," said Charter svp, comm David Andersen, adding that the MSO has fully cooperated with the govt in its investigation and has been commended for its "extraordinary" cooperation.

The Daily

Subscribe
Friday–December 13

State of DEI: NAMIC, AIM Analyze Workforce Representation

At a time when investments in DEI efforts are being questioned, NAMIC is checking in to remind the industry of the tangible change these initiatives are making.

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Calendar

Apr 16
Cablefax 100 Awards Nominations Open November 13th, 2024.
Full Calendar

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB or hiring for one?
VIEW JOBS

In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact Carley Ashley, [email protected], for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.