Vennes/Fry Trial May be Postponed Beyond February 12, 2013

Joe Friedberg, in an August 29, 2012 letter addressed to the court stated the following (emphasis is mine):

...based on the Venne's continuance motion, trial in this matter will be rescheduled from October 1, 2012 and will now commence February 11, 2013, or later.

The Vennes home in Shorewood, Minnesota was raided September 24, 2008, nearly four years ago. Tom Petters was convicted in 2009.

Friedberg also says in his letter:

"The undersigned believes the ends of justice served by granting of the continuance in this matter outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial."

The public? Does that include the investors?

Arraignment on Second Superseding Indictment - Vennes & Fry Plead Not Guilty

It was a short hearing - too short for me to complete my sketch of Mr. Vennes. After the arraignment, Frank Vennes and his lawyer walked briskly away (not run as was the case at a previous hearing). I managed to snap a few fuzzy and shaky photos with a phone as they exited the courthouse via the skyways:

"Frank the Janitor"

From a  Sun Sentinel article from December 24, 2006:

Then Bruce Prevost, a longtime member of the special needs ministry, told a story. 

"Frank the Janitor," had visited the special needs center about six weeks ago. Early in life when he was still a janitor, Frank had donated his life savings of $25,000 to a church ministry, before becoming successful in business, Prevost said. 

When Frank heard about the Szukas' struggle with a hurricane-damaged, wheelchair-unfriendly home, he decided to provide them with a furnished, accessible house while remaining anonymous. A 4,752-square-foot Loxahatchee home, worth $500,000, built on 1.2 acres in 2003 for a wheelchair-bound man, was the perfect solution. In the last week, church volunteers had painted and personalized it. " 

Your family has served and served and served, and been an example of boundless love," Prevost said, handing them an oversized gold key, wrapped in Christmas ribbon.

Interesting...

UPDATE: Apparently, this story was included as a chapter in a book titled "Christmas Promises: Heavenly Gifts for the Holiday Season" by LeAnn Weiss published by Gospel Light.

You can read the chapter at Google Books.