MIAMI – A Vermont man has pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge for claiming he could tamper with a jury considering DUI manslaughter charges against a prominent Florida polo mogul.
James Perron of Tinmouth, Vermont, pleaded guilty to a single wire fraud charge in federal court Wednesday. The charge carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
Perron admitted sending text messages to a polo player who was friends with John Goodman, founder of the International Polo Club. Goodman was being tried for a 2010 drunken-driving crash in Palm Beach County that killed 23-year-old Scott Wilson.
The FBI says Perron falsely claimed in the messages that a relative could sway the Goodman jury to acquit him for $1 million.
Goodman was convicted last October and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
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