The majority of federal criminal charges result in plea bargains. When cases do proceed to trial, the federal government has the upper hand statistically speaking. Yet you cannot take victories for granted, which makes them all the sweeter.

In a high profile insider trading case, Zvi Goffer, an ex-Galleon Group trader, was found guilty of all 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud by a jury of his peers. His brother Emanuel Goffer and former trader Michael Kimelman were each convicted of conspiracy and two counts of securities fraud. All three face up to 25 years in prison.

The trial again underscores the power of wiretap evidence and recorded evidence from cooperating witnesses (even those with drug issues) in the minds of jury members. As in the Raj Rajaratnam trial, prosecutors leaned heavily on this evidence, more so than on email, which has proven flimsy with some white-collar juries.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District in New York is on quite a roll, as this marks its second victory in as many trials in its insider trading crackdown. More trials are on tap, and the prosecution will be brimming with confidence. You have to wonder if the results will re-open some settlement talks. Of course, the terms get worse, the longer one waits.   

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- here's a quick notice from USA Today

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