Los Angeles jeweler pleads guilty in KPMG case

The owner of a Los Angeles jewelry store pleaded guilty Monday for his role in an insider-trading case involving a former senior partner at accounting firm KPMG.
Bryan Shaw, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 16 when he faces a maximum of five years in prison.
"In this guilty plea, Mr. Shaw continued his path to fully accepting responsibility for his actions and doing the right thing," said Shaw's attorney Nathan Hochman.
Authorities said Shaw made more than $1 million in illicit profits by trading in advance of company announcements on earnings results or mergers for KPMG LLC clients, including Herbalife Lt., Skechers USA Inc. and Uggs maker Deckers Outdoor Corp.
In exchange, Shaw gave former KPMG accountant Scott London bags filled with cash, along with a $12,000 Rolex watch and jewelry for his wife, among other items, prosecutors said. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which filed civil charges in the case, estimates London received at least $50,000.

Military court reverses suicide attempt conviction

The U.S. military's highest court has reversed a Marine's conviction for a suicide attempt.

The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces issued the 3-2 split opinion late Monday.

It says a military judge shouldn't have accepted Pvt. Lazzaric Caldwell's guilty plea in 2010 to a charge of wrongful self-injury without intent to avoid service.

Caldwell slit his wrists at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, after learning of a friend's death back home in California. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and received a bad conduct discharge for that offense and convictions for larceny and violating orders.

The court found Caldwell's guilty plea for the suicide attempt technically insufficient. The majority opinion doesn't address the larger question of whether military suicide attempts should be prosecuted as crimes or considered noncriminal matters requiring treatment.