Plea Agreement May Be Reached In B. Don James Case

A plea agreement may be reached in the case against B. Don James.
The well known former Smithville businessman is accused of defrauding dozens of people in a so called “Ponzi scheme”.
The case has been set for trial March 6th in U.S. District Court in Nashville.
James is named in a fifteen count indictment by a federal grand jury charging him with over $1.8 million in wire fraud.
James recently waived an appearance and submitted a written plea of “not guilty” at his arraignment
An order, signed by U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell, states that “The trial in the case is set for March 6th at 9:00 a.m. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for March 2nd at 1:00 p.m.
“Any plea agreement shall be consummated by February 26th and the courtroom deputy so notified. Any proposed plea agreement shall be submitted to the court by February 27th.”
“Any motion to continue the trial, pretrial conference or plea dates, shall be filed no later than one week before the pretrial conference date.”
The U.S. District Court Clerk’s Office reports that the status conference has been held and that the parties have indicated to the court that there were no discovery disputes. According to the clerk’s office, The defendant is expected to enter into a plea agreement with the court. That plea is to be heard on March 2nd at 1:00 p.m.
If a plea is not reached and James is convicted at trial, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.