Montvel-Cohen gets wrist slap in theft case

Guam media executive Evan Montvel-Cohen was sentenced to five years of probation today after pleading no contest to a charge of first-degree theft. He will, however, have a felony charge on his record in the case.

Montvel-Cohen, 43, admitted stealing some $30,000 from a Waimanalo landscaping company that he worked for in 2005. He has since repaid the money to the company, Ultimate Innovations, Inc., prior to yesterday's sentencing by Circuit Judge Randal Lee in a Honolulu courtroom.

Additional charges of credit card fraud, forgery and money laundering against Montvel-Cohen were dismissed as part of the plea agreement he reached with prosecutors here.

Montvel-Cohen is known to many readers here for his role as one of the founders of Air America Radio. He left in a storm of controversy amid accusations of overstating his own personal worth and taking out loans from a non-profit organization to fund his investment in the startup radio venture.

He was arrested last year for the recent charge, and accepted a plea deal last month.

Once a thief, always a theif...

Montvel-Cohen makes plea deal

Guam media executive Evan Montvel-Cohen, also one of the founders of Air America, pleaded no contest in Circuit Court late last week to a charge of first-degree theft.

The no-contest plea was part of a deal with prosecutors who agreed to dismiss other charges of credit card fraud, forgery, money laundering and second-degree theft.

In return, Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Van Marter said his office will not seek jail time for Montvel-Cohen if he pays about $30,000 in restitution to a former business associate here.

The money must be paid before Montvel-Cohen is sentenced July 28 by Circuit Judge Randal Lee. If the money isn't repaid by sentencing, Van Marter said his office can ask for a jail sentence of up to 18 months.

Montvel-Cohen was accused of stealing more than $62,000 from a Waimanalo landscaping firm, Ultimate Innovations, where he worked as a business manager in 2005.

Many here may remember Montvel-Cohen from his brief tenure at Air America, where he left prior to the unveiling of a massive controversy over where he and his partner, Rex Sorenson, got their financial backing from. Turns out that, in the capacity of his executive position at the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx, Cohen acquired loans from the nonprofit in order to help fulfil his share of the investment.

Now, don't let any of those wingnut pundits fool you with their lies and spin. Air America didn't loot any Bronx youth centers, and neither did Franken, though they'd like you to actually believe that. This was all Montvel-Cohen, and his most recent escapades give further proof to that.

Click the tag below for previous entries regarding the Montvel-Cohen case.

Montvel-Cohen goes home, awaits trial

Former Air America Radio executive Evan Montvel-Cohen can go home. For now.

A Hawaii judge allowed Cohen to return to his home in Guam, against the wishes of the prosecution. Cohen was released on $75,000 bail, but he was ordered to return for his trial in September.

The media exec pleaded not guilty on July 7 to charges of theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, forgery, and money laundering for allegedly defrauding a Hawaii landscaping company of more than $60,000. The matter was set for trial for September 8.

Prosecutors wanted Montvel-Cohen, 42, held without bail on theft, forgery, money laundering and other charges, but a circuit judge has allowed the defendant to live on Guam pending trial in the case.

Montvel-Cohen is accused of stealing more than $62,000 from a landscaping company, Ultimate Innovations, where he worked as a business manager in 2005. He was arrested on the Hawaii warrant at Guam International Airport May 27 when he returned there from a trip to the Philippines. He was extradited to Hawaii this month.

Montvel-Cohen stirred up controversy in 2004 during his tenure as chairman of Air America. Prior to the network's launch, Montvel-Cohen and his partner, fellow Guam media mogul Rex Sorenson, formed a company with other minority investors called Progress Media and purchased a large stake in the network from Sheldon and Anita Drobny. Progress Media was soon discovered to be highly underfunded, and the misled investors forced both Montvel-Cohen and Sorenson out of Progress Media and Air America that May. Soon afterward came the revelation that much of Montvel-Cohen's capital came via his director position at the nonprofit Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx, where he acquired more than $800,000 in loans and stirred up a scandal and a New York criminal investigation. The remaining investors of Air America cooperated with authorities and paid back the loan. Neither Montvel-Cohen nor anyone else were charged with criminal offenses in the case.

Former Air America exec Evan Montvel Cohen arrested

Former Air America Radio chairman Evan Montvel Cohen, a controversial figure from the network's early days, has been arrested on theft and fraud charges, KUAM-TV reports.

The media executive was returning from Manila when he was arrested at Guam's airport. He was picked up on a warrant from Hawaii for charges including theft, credit card fraud, forgery, and money laundering. He was placed under house arrest after posting a $75,000 bond. An extradition hearing is set for June 27th.

Many people remember Cohen as one of the primary figures behind the start-up of Air America. Only problem was, his ambitions were bigger than his financial backing. Cohen and his partner, fellow Guam media mogul Rex Sorenson, formed a company called Progress Media and purchased the soon-to-launch network from Sheldon and Anita Drobny. They also brought in other investors to complete Progress Media's board.

Cohen and Sorenson misled the network's other investors into believing that they had more money than they really did, and checks started bouncing and debts began escalating. By May, both Cohen and Sorenson were forced out of Air America by Progress Media's other investors.

The remaining executives reorganized the company as Piquant, LLC, and set out to pick up the pieces and get the struggling debt-ridden network back on track. But Cohen's legacy returned to haunt them a few months later. Turns out that, in the capacity of his executive position at the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx, Cohen acquired loans from the nonprofit in order to help fulfil his share of the investment. His former partners in Air America were livid. The network's marquee host, Al Franken, even blasted Cohen on the air.

Of course, right-wing bloggers with an axe to grind against the network went ballistic when news of this scandal emerged (in perhaps the only instance of them even giving a rip about an inner city community center). More recently, they have even tried to tarnish former host and current Senate candidate Al Franken with the scandal, though as merely an on-air personality, he was kept out of the loop, and was unaware of the whole controversy until it hit the news media.

Piquant, assuming responsibility for the loan, agreed to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to repay the Gloria Wise center, an amount estimated to be about $875,000. After making some repayments and putting much of the rest in escrow, in compliance with city officials and New York's Attorney General, the entire loan was repayed by September 2006.

There have been no further details released regarding the extent of Cohen's current charges, and it appears that they are not connected with Air America. If convicted, Cohen faces up to 10 years in prison.