Whistle-blower in Petters case wrote company checks
*Whistle-blower wrote company checks to family
*Coleman spent investor money gambling
*Coleman wraps up testimony
By Todd Melby
ST PAUL, Minn., Nov 4 (Reuters) - The whistle-blower in the $3.65 billion fraud trial of accused Ponzi schemer Tom Petters testified on Wednesday that she wrote more than $1.2 million in Petters company checks to her boyfriend and brother.
Under cross-examination from Petters' defense attorneys, Deanna Coleman also testified that she had put her boyfriend on the company payroll with a $100,000 a year salary and that Petters was aware of it.
The boyfriend received $300,000 in checks from the company while her brother received $930,000 as Coleman tried to hide income during a divorce.
In addition, defense attorneys presented evidence showing that Coleman spent more than $600,000 of investors' money on gambling during the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas in 2007 and 2008.
The defense also accused her of lying to outside auditors. Continued...
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