United States v. Barry Stokes
USAO No. 2006R00368
Criminal Case no. 3:06-00204
In an effort to keep victims informed of proceedings in this case, new developments or updates will be posted on this website regularly.
1) On October 13, 2006, the defendant was arrested pursuant to a federal complaint charging him with embezzlement of funds subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 664.
2) On November 8, 2006, a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee indicted the defendant on six counts of embezzling ERISA funds, also in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 664.
3) The trial scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, before Judge Robert L. Echols, has been CONTINUED. It has not been rescheduled at this time.
Updated 2/1/07
The trial scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, before Judge Robert L. Echols, has been CONTINUED. It has not been rescheduled at this time.
Updated 2/21/07
The trial in this case has been rescheduled to May 22, 2007, at 9:00 AM.
Updated 5/11/07
Updated 5/21/07
1. Thursday, May 17, 2007: The trial date of May 22, 2007 has been continued by the court. At this time, no new date has been set, but we will post the new date as soon as it is selected.
2. Friday, May 18, 2007: The Magistrate has granted the defense motion to reopen the detention hearing that was originally held on October 19, 2006. The date for the detention hearing is Tuesday, June 5, 2007 at 10am.
3. Monday, May 21, 2007: The defendant waived his arraignment on the superseding indictment and entered a plea of "NOT GUILTY".
Updated 6/8/07
The defendant was detained Tuesday, June 5, 2007.
Updated 6/15/07
The trial has been reset to October 23, 2007, before Judge Robert Echols.
Updated 10/22/07
In September, 2007, the defense filed another motion to continue the trial, and the government did not oppose this motion. The Hon. Judge Robert Echols has granted this continuance, and will issue an order re-scheduling the date of the trial in the coming weeks. As soon as a new date for the trial has been ordered by the court, we will post that information here immediately.
Updated 11/06/07
The trial in United States v. Barry Stokes has been rescheduled to begin February 26, 2008.
Updated 2/25/08
The defense, without objection from the government, has moved for a continuance and has requested a final setting of the trial date on June 25, 2008. The court has not officially approved this suggested trial date, but it has indicated that the continuance of the February 26, 2008 trial date will be granted. Once the new trial date is officially announced, the updated schedule will be posted to this site.
Updated 4/30/08
The trial in United States v. Barry Stokes has been rescheduled to begin Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 0900.
Updated 8/25/08
Potential Plea Agreement and Town Hall Meeting
E-mail responses can be sent to USvStokes@usdoj.gov
Updated 9/3/08
Senior Judge Robert L. Echols has set a guilty plea hearing on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. All victims in the case have a right to be present at the hearing, which will take place in the Federal Courthouse on 110 9th Avenue South, in courtroom 874.
Updated 9/12/08
On Tuesday, September 9, 2008, Barry R. Stokes entered pleas of guilty to over 30 counts of the Superseding Indictment. Judge Echols will set a date for sentencing in the near future, and we will post the date of the sentencing hearing as soon as it has been announced.
We will also post details regarding submission of victim impact statements that describe to the judge the harm and the impact that these offenses have had on you and your families.
For the details of the guilty plea and the plea agreement, please see the plea agreement, which has been posted to this site.
Updated 1/12/09
The sentencing hearing that was originally scheduled for Monday, January 12, 2009 has been continued, and the court has not yet provided a new date for the hearing. When the court reschedules the hearing, we will post that new date and time.
Updated 2/18/09
The sentencing hearing originally set on January 12, 2009, has now been rescheduled to take place on May 18, at 9:00AM, by Senior Judge Robert L. Echols. If you wish to attend this sentencing, please contact our office on or around May 15 to confirm there have been no last minute changes.
Updated 5/14/09
The sentencing hearing that was originally scheduled for Monday, May 18, 2009 has been continued, and the court has not yet provided a new date for the hearing. When the court reschedules the hearing, we will post that new date and time.