Leroy King denied bail, faces 175 years in prison

By Elesha George

United States (US) Magistrate Judge, Dena Palermo, has ruled that 73-year-old Leroy King will remain in a corrections facility and remanded to the custody of “the Attorney General or to the Attorney General’s designated representative” pending his trial in a US court.

A grand jury returned an indictment against King, charging him on 21 counts of conspiracy to commit mail, wire and securities fraud, between 2002 and 2008, in violation of the US law. He faces up to 175 years in prison if he is found guilty.

On December 4th, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas held a hearing to determine whether King should be granted bail under its Bail Reform Act of 1984.

In presenting evidence, King’s legal representative, Mark Carter called four witnesses to the stand; his daughter Lorian King, his ex-wife Lisonyi John Diaz, and two friends, Kimberly Paul and Richard Allen, all of whom testified that “the defendant was a peaceful person, religious and would follow conditions of his release”. King, Diaz and Paul, the court document said “were willing to be a surety on a bond”.