re waiting out the uncertainty, but will likely return if this can be resolved quickly. Let's make sure that they do.

Arrests former CSFB investment banker Frank Quattrone for obstruction of justice

Proving once again it's not the crime, it's the coverup, US Attorney James Comey nabbed Frank Quattrone today for obstruction of justice. It seems that after Frank learned his company was being investigated, he told employees to "clean up" their files. Did you ever notice how people with messy homes tend to have very neat offices? Comey will march out the charges today, but dont expect him to say anything about Martha's case...unless WNBC's reporters get another leak. It's a good thing Martha Stewart turned over 1000 pages of documents to Congress last summer. Rather than charging her with obstruction, Rep Billy Tauzins investigators at the time accused her of trying to bury them with information in order to hide the truth! Seven months and no charges later, it looks like the strategy worked. It goes to show that you really never can be too thorough.

SaveMartha has been counting down the days until US Attorney James Comey's much anticipated announcement, hoping against hope that someone on the investigating side would finally back up their words with action. Today is Mr. Comey's previously announced "before Easter" deadline to tell the world what the 461 days of investigation have turned up. But when asked by CBS news what their next move would be, Comeys spokesman had no comment.

We have simply been asking since DAY 1 for a fair process in the Martha Stewart investigation, but all we have seen is anonymous and damaging leaks to the press, endless delays, and a continuation of the dark cloud that hangs over a vital part of the US economy, Martha Stewarts media empire. But Martha has already been convicted in the press; FOX news reporter Eric Burns recently called on the media to "tell the truth" about Martha's wicked ways, and predicted they would soon dredge up more dirt on the Domestic Diva. We are glad to report that Eric was wrong, in fact media coverage has been more positive in recent weeks (PageSix even called Martha an Angel of Mercy). We would expect Eric Burns to now issue an apology, but that would require good manners and a sense of fair play, both of which he is sorely lacking.

Having denied Martha the privacy and respect that she as an American citizen is due, it is now time to wrap this mess up and toss it out with the rest of the spring cleaning rubbish. Lets tell James Comey and John Ashcroft it's time to move on.

Firms bet celebrities won't lose their cachet--The Globe and Mail
Sears chairman and chief executive officer Mark Cohen says customers are still clamouring for Martha Stewart. "We have people asking every day for the line. There are customers who couldn't care less what's happened with Martha with respect to the Justice Department."

Sightings: Martha Stewart at the WNET gala at the Plaza, with Tom Brokaw, Tina Brown and Dominick Dunne, Martha with the standard-issue glass of white wine, over-sized pearls and new hair-do, and looking much more relaxed than most of the people who have recently shorted her companys shares...

Former SEC official proclaims case against Martha Stewart is "not strong" Long delay works in her favor...

War's almost done: back to Martha--CBS Marketwatch
By Luisa Beltran, CBS.MarketWatch.com
With the war in Iraq winding down, the public, and the media, can now turn to other things -- like the fate of Martha Stewart.

When last we left Ms. Stewart, it was March, and the domestic doyenne said she was hopeful her personal legal situation could be resolved soon. U.S. Attorney James Comey had been expected to decide by Easter whether his office would file charges against Stewart. But so far neither the U.S Attorney's office nor the Securities and Exchange Commission has acted.

"The delay definitely works in Martha Stewart's favor," said attorney Robert Heim, of Meyers & Heim, who specializes in securities law and is a former SEC official. "When cases are strong, the government usually likes to bring them as quickly as possible. This indicates that they might feel the case is not as strong as they would hope for."

Attorney Robert Mintz said the delay likely means the U.S. Attorney's office isn't convinced that it has put together a strong enough case for a grand jury. More likely, the U.S. Attorney's office is probably debating whether the Martha Stewart case is the sort that should be pursued criminally.

"The longer this drags out, the better the prospects are for Ms. Stewart that no charges will ultimately be brought," said Mintz, a former U.S. prosecutor, an expert on white-collar crime and now a partner with McCarter & English.

US Attorney sharpens the knives against real corporate criminals

WordCom ex-CFO Sullivan hit with new charges that carry 120 year sentence

The bad news: we still have no resolution in the Martha Stewart case from US Attorney James Comey, who said he would have a decision by Easter. We would like to suggest to Mr. Comey that Good Friday would be a great day to announce that Martha has been Saved.

The good news: James Comey has been busy cleaning up real corporate crime, and that's a good thing. Remember Bernie Ebbers, the founder or WorldCom who kept "loaning" himself hundreds of millions so he could buy timber farms and Saddam Hussein-sized mansions, while his company in Mississippi burned? So far, the big CEOs like Bernie Ebbers (and Ken Lay) have escaped prosecution. The only way to get the big boss is to have their capos turn on them. So Mr. Comey just charged WorldComs former CFO Sullivan with lying to the banks to get over $4 billion in credit. Now watch Sullivan flip like a silver dollar pancake and spill the pinto beans on his old boss Bernie.

If Martha's guilty, I'm moving to Iraq
Contrast this major fraud to the case of Martha Stewart, who sold under 4,000 shares of stock in someone else's company. Martha had reportedly already sold some of her ImClone shares months before, and had tried to sell them all. Martha's name popped up because she had the same broker as Sam Waksal and his daughter, who were dumping their shares for reasons evidently unknown to Martha herself. Martha's broker called, told her the stock was headed south and it was time to sell off the last of it. She sold. End of story.

If this case goes forward, and you can no longer buy or sell stock on your brokers recommendation, we might as well fold up the tents and move to Iraq, because capitalism as we know it is finished. The only way for the government to win this case is to get a broker to testify against a client. They must flip Douglas Faneuil and Peter Bacanovic, Martha's brokers, and have them testify against her. This would send a shock wave through the markets. Can you say Dow Jones hits 2000?

So kudos to James Comey. The US Attorney is focussed on the kind of major fraud cases our readers have been urging the government to pursue over the past year. The WorldCom case will help restore investor confidence. The Martha Stewart case could shatter it once again. Lets pray for a very Good Friday.