'Rockefeller' Fights False Name Charges

(NEWSER) - A Boston jury found the con man known as Clark Rockefeller guilty of kidnapping and assault today in the abduction of his young daughter last year, the Boston Herald reports. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced this afternoon. The jury found him not guilty of using a false name—he was born Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter in Germany—and on a lesser assault charge. His lawyers had mounted an insanity defense, which almost never succeeds in Massachusetts. More»

(NEWSER) - Lawyers for Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter—aka Clark Rockefeller—want his conviction overturned because the jury was unfairly prejudiced against their client, the Boston Globe reports. Rockefeller was found guilty of kidnapping his daughter. The lawyers say the prosecution “eviscerated” their insanity defense during closing arguments by calling an unqualified expert witness. More»

Kidnapper dad's connection to decade-old incident unclear, but adds to mystery

(NEWSER) - Fingerprints taken from kidnapper dad Clark Rockefeller reveal a connection to a decade-old California murder case, the Boston Globe reports. Prints taken after his arrest Saturday in Baltimore match those on a driver’s license application under another alias—which in turn is on a list of those wanted in connection with the California homicide. More»

Anonymity offers the chance for a fresh start: Alina Simone

(NEWSER) - Twelve years ago, Alina Vilenkin took her mother's maiden name and became Alina Simone, and with the switch came a whole new life. She went from being a person who never followed through on anything to one who finally pursued her true passion: singing. "I changed my name and it changed me," she writes in the New York Times . "I poured my best self into my new name." So when she heard that an audience member at one of her shows decided to change her own name to "Alina Simone," Simone No. 1 wondered if Simone No. 2 would follow a similar path. More»

Ponzi schemer taped giving associates tips to dodge regulators

(NEWSER) - The most important thing to remember if you want to fool the SEC is to act casual, Bernie Madoff told executives at Fairfield Greenwich Group. “You don't want them to think you're concerned about anything,” the Ponzi scheme mastermind said in a phone call taped in 2005, CNN reports. Most regulators are just looking to get some experience in order to work on Wall Street themselves, Madoff said. “You don't have to be too brilliant with these guys," he summed up. More»