“Agent” Pleads Guilty

You might remember my July rant about Martha Ivery, 56, who was charged with mail fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and fraud in connection with an access device, all felonies resulting from her fraudulent literary agency.

Sometimes, there is justice in the world. The Times Union posted an article yesterday that stated “Ivery admitted guilt to 15 counts of mail fraud in connection with taking money from would-be authors. She also pleaded guilty to one count of credit card fraud and one count of bankruptcy fraud, all felonies, in U.S. District Court in Albany.” The article describes how Ivery defrauded prospective authors from 1997 to 2002 and took almost $700,000 from 200 writers, according to prosecutors.

Ivery has not been offered a plea bargain and she faces up to 20 years in the big house on the mail fraud charges, 10 years on the credit card charge, and five years on the bankruptcy charge. Possibly the most damning aspect of all is that even her defense attorney admits that Ivery has no excuse. “There would be no defense on this case, Richard Mott of Albany said. “She realizes the proof would be overwhelming.”