Coke Scandal Verdict In: Guilty

The major Coca-Cola scandal in which three defendants were accused of attempting to sell top secret product information has resulted in a guilty verdict for defendant Joya Williams. Earlier in 2006, the attention of authorities was raised as two men, Edmund Duhaney and Ibrahim Dimson, tried to sell trade secrets to undercover detectives. Joya Williams has maintained throughout the trial that she was not involved in the scandal.

Her story thus far has been shaky in the opinion of authorities. And recently, her credibility was questioned when the subject of her marital status was raised. According to documents in 2005, the defendant, Williams claimed that she was married. But when questioned during the trial, she stated that she had never been married at all. Though this minor detail has no tangible bearing on the events transpiring around the Coke scandal, the discrepancy provided jurors with a sour opinion of her integrity.

On Wednesday, January 31^st 2007, Williams' lawyer, Janice Singer, argued that there was not sufficient evidence to blame the scheme on Williams. She also mentioned that Coca-Cola's lackadaisical security measures were actually at fault for the loss of the secret documents and products. Then on Thursday, February 1^st 2007, jurors returned a hung jury, citing they they were unable to reach a decision. But U.S. District Court Judge Owen Forrester advised the jury that they must proceed in attempting to reach a verdict.

Earlier in the investigation, the two male defendants plead guilty to charges and agreed to testify against Joya Williams, citing that Williams herself had told them the trade secrets (now revealed to have been related to Coke's BLAK product) would be worth a good deal of money. Duhaney even testified that Williams had actually been planning the scheme for some time, removing documents little by little. Video footage has been released, depicting Ms. Williams removing products and paperwork from the Coca-Cola facility. Her initial defense to this was that she was attempting to catch up at work, because she was failing on her job. But recent evidence has shown that a deposit of $4,000 was made to her personal account during the time these activities were said to have taken place. Further evidence included audiotapes of conversations Duhaney and Dimson had with regard to her "cut" of the profits.

Today, Ms. Williams has been found guilty of conspiracy to sell company trade secrets. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison, and will be sentenced later.