Ozy Media Founder Carlos Watson Found Guilty in Fraud Trial

Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson was convicted of fraud on Tuesday, ending an eight-week trial comprised of claims reminiscent of the crimes that got Watson charged. The Eastern District of New York jury deliberated for three days before reaching their guilty verdict, according to The New York Times. During the trial, Watson tried to frame the government’s chief allegations—including how his Ozy co-founder, Samir Rao, impersonated a YouTube executive to secure funding from Goldman Sachs—on Rao. Rao had already pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government for its case. “Watson knew the company was failing, but he was determined to turn Ozy and himself into the next big thing, and he wasn’t going to let the truth stand in his way,” government prosecutor Gillian Kassner said in a closing argument, according to the Times. Watson now faces up to 37 years in prison.

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