What to Know
- A jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Craig Carton, the former co-host of "Boomer & Carton
- He was allegedly involved in a scam through which he and another man claimed to be running a discount ticket business that didn't exist
- Carton thanked his fans and coworkers in a statement after his resignation but called the charges "unfounded"
Craig Carton, the former morning sports talk show host who was arrested for allegedly carrying out a multimillion-dollar fake ticket scam, has been found guilty on all counts.
A jury reached a verdict in Carton's trial Wednesday afternoon.
Carton said he was disappointed with the verdict, though he respected it.
"I need to let it sink in now," Carton said. "I'm going to go home and hug my kids and let my lawyers deal with the rest of it."
His lawyers said they planned to appeal the Manhattan federal court jury verdict. Sentencing was set for Feb. 27 on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud.
The verdict came after five hours of deliberations that began Tuesday.
Carton, 49, of Manhattan, was ex-NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason's on-air partner for years on WFAN's "Boomer and Carton" show. He left the program after his arrest last year.
He was accused of swindling investors in a ticket reselling business.
Prosecutors said he spent investor money on personal expenses, including gambling debts and landscaping bills.
Carton's lawyers argued during a week-and-a-half long trial that Carton was no crook and that he was victimized by his former business partner, Joseph Meli.
Meli was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison earlier this year after pleading guilty in a $100 million ticket reselling business fraud.
Local
Prosecutors said the former co-host of WFAN's "Boomer and Carton" show had misappropriated at least $5.6 million. Carton didn't visibly react as the verdict was announced.
"I'm obviously disappointed with the verdict today," Carton said shortly after he walked out of the courthouse. His lawyers had said he did not plan to say anything.
"I respect it," he also said of the jury's decision.
After Carton's arrest, Esiason told the Boston radio team of Toucher & Rich morning that he was "lost and kind of a little bit heartbroken over the whole thing."
In a statement, Carton promised that "when this strange episode is over, I'll be back, stronger than ever."
