Dad: Fugitive Son Afraid His Facebook Trial Wouldn't Be Fair
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The father of a fugitive accused of falsely claiming he's owed a majority ownership in Facebook says his son doesn't trust the criminal justice system.
Carmine Ceglia told a Manhattan judge Tuesday that Paul Ceglia was afraid that he wouldn't get a fair shot at his upcoming criminal trial.
The younger Ceglia disappeared with his wife, children and the family dog this month.
Federal Judge Vernon Broderick signed a bail forfeiture order Tuesday. That lets the government pursue a half dozen properties Ceglia's family posted to cover $250,000 bail.
Prosecutors say Ceglia doctored a contract he signed with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2003 to make it seem he was part owner of the Menlo Park, California, company.
Earlier this month, prosecutors said Ceglia sliced off his electronic monitoring device and created a crude contraption to make it appear he was still at Westville, New York, home.
After a pretrial services officer could not reach Ceglia, marshals forced their way into his home and found the ankle bracelet hanging from a ceiling-mounted, motorized device, prosecutors said in court papers, Bloomberg reported.
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