As many members know, there has been an ongoing effort to deal with the failure of the former BJCP Treasurer, Mr. William R. Slack, of Nashua, New Hampshire, to turn over the funds in the treasury to the current Treasurer. Mr. Slack, also a former BJCP President, has not communicated with the current Board of Directors, and we have been pursuing a resolution of this matter since 2004.
For obvious reasons, the BJCP officers and legal committee are unable to comment publicly, but we feel the membership deserves to be kept informed as much as possible.Links in the following paragraphs will display the relevant documents.
We recently learned that a Federal Grand Jury has indicted Mr. Slack for fraud (see Slack indictment). This indictment was reported in the Nashua Telegraph newspaper. Mr. Slack was served with a summons on April 30, 2007 for his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on May 17, 2007 (see Slack summons).
Mr. Slack appeared with his public defender at that hearing, and entered a plea of “not guilty” to the charge. He was released pending trial, subject to a number of conditions, and a trial date has been set for July 10, 2007 (see Slack conditions).
The Department of Justice has issued a press release describing the case, including potential penalties. The case is also summarized in their 2007 Annual Report, page 66.
1st Update: Mr. Slack, through his public defender, requested a continuance (legalese for a delay in going to trial). On June 26, 2007, the court granted his request, and rescheduled his trial for October 10, 2007. See Slack first continuance request and Slack continuance granted.
2nd Update: Mr. Slack, through his public defender, requested a second continuance which was also granted, which postpones his trial until at least February 5, 2008. See Slack second continuance request.
3rd Update: Mr. Slack, through his public defender, requested a third continuance which was also granted, which postpones his trial until at least June 3, 2008.
4th Update: Mr. Slack, through his public defender, requested a fourth continuance which was also granted, which postpones his trial until at least September 3, 2008. See Slack fourth continuance request.
5th Update: Mr. Slack, through his public defender, entered into a plea agreement on September 2, 2008. In the agreement, Mr. Slack agreed to plead guilty to his crime. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2008 at 10:30am at the Federal Courthouse in Concord, NH. See Slack Plea Agreement.
6th Update: Mr. Slack was sentenced on December 16, 2008 to five years probation, incarceration of one week per month for twelve months, and restitution of approximately $43K. The sentencing order provides full details of the sentence imposed. The Nashua Telegraph reported on the trial, and it was also mentioned in the Keene Sentinel.
The BJCP is satisfied with this sentence and believes this matter is now closed.