Days after surrendering on multiple white-collar criminal charges, a Mobile woman is asking a judge for broad travel liberties while she awaits trial.
Grand Jury Indictment Details Fraud Allegations
Court records unsealed Thursday evening for Carla Williams, 49, include an eight-count grand jury indictment detailing securities fraud allegations related to the medical device firm she co-founded with her ex-husband and local physicians, Innovative Medicine Partners. The now-public docket also includes a newly filed request asking a Mobile County judge to amend her bond conditions to permit travel. The motion, filed the same day Williams turned herself in at the Mobile Jail on Aug. 6, states she currently lives in Leavenworth, Kansas, and that under her existing court orders, she cannot leave the state without court permission.
Williams is seeking permission to travel both domestically and internationally while the criminal case is pending, including a planned trip to England beginning Friday, Aug. 14. As of Friday morning, a judge had not ruled on the motion. Birmingham attorney Daniel Fortune, who represents Williams, said Alabama Securities Commission prosecutors were notified of the request and do not object to Williams traveling outside the state or country. Prosecutors did not co-sign the motion, however, and it was not filed as an unopposed request.
Falkner Faces Parallel Charges in the Case
The travel request comes as Williams and her former spouse, Peter Falkner, face parallel indictments accusing them of conspiring to defraud investors while raising nearly $10.5 million for Innovative Medicine Partners. Williams’ indictment alleges the pair told investors their money would fund medical devices while concealing that about half the funds raised were used for their personal benefit. Williams and Falkner each face one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, one general fraud count and six counts alleging false statements to specific investors. Both are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
The Alabama Securities Commission is the state agency that administers the Alabama Securities Act, which regulates the offer and sale of investments in the state.
