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Via CNN:

Kozlowski urges jail time - for himself

1995 letter from ex-Tyco CEO calls for "maximum term" in incarceration of ex-employee.

June 23, 2005: 12:49 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A letter written 10 years ago by convicted Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski that condemns stealing from stockholders could play a role in determining the length of his sentence, according to a news report released Thursday.

Prosecutors in the trial of Kozlowski, who was convicted last week on charges that he pocketed in excess of $150 million dollars from Tyco, say they may use the letter during their sentencing recommendation for the former exec, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Kozlowski's 1995 letter, written to a Houston sentencing official over the trial of Girish P. Shah, recommended that the former assistant controller at Tyco "be sentenced to incarceration for a maximum term," and stated that stealing from a company is "a particularly egregious crime."

In the letter obtained by the Journal, Kozlowski also went on to censure Shah for stealing from stockholders and breaching his fiduciary duty, writing the "wrongdoing of this nature against society is considered a grave matter."

Shah was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released four year later in 1999, the paper reported.

Kozlowski, 58 and co-worker Mark Swartz, 44, who were both convicted last Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court, now face sentences of 15 to 30 years. Their sentencing is tentatively scheduled for August 2.

Original article appears here, along with further details about Kozlowski's bleak prospects.

-- MDT

Labels: Dennis Kozlowski, Tyco