Lawyers for the Miami businessman accused in a multimillion-dollar fraud case in northern Vermont want his trial moved out of state due to what they call "inflammatory pretrial publicity."
In court papers filed late Tuesday, Ariel Quiros' lawyers say the Vermont media have convicted him before his trial. They say the government and other federal and state politicians "have scapegoated Mr. Quiros to deflect attention from their own involvement."
Quiros, the former owner of Jay Peak ski resort, former president William Stenger, and two others were indicted on federal charges over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant using foreign investors' money. They've pleaded not guilty.
Both Quiros and Stenger also have reached settlements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after they were accused of misusing more than $200 million raised from foreign investors.
In Tuesday's motion, Quiros also sought to have the indictment dismissed, saying the relationships between the two U.S. attorneys who oversaw the investigation and key federal and state officials caused a conflict of interest and tainted the investigation. A spokesman for the office of Vermont U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan said Wednesday that they would not be commenting.
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