Marylin and fiance. \nNEW YORK - One of two former lovers with whom Marylin Star is said to have been involved in an insider trading scheme rejects the picture painted of her as a complete naif in terms of business or finance - but he also rejects the idea that she's a criminal.
Meanwhile, a close friend says she's negotiating a plea deal but fears for her life because powerful people with big money have a stake in her now.
Star's (real name: Kathryn Gannon) claims of innocence and betrayal are "more than ridiculous," says industrialist Anthony Pomponio, who's free on bail in the case, to the New York Post. "And it's untrue. She's a very determined person, and she knows what she wants."
But Pomponio - who's accused of profiting from stock swaps he made based on advance merger tips he got from Star, who's accused of getting them from powerhouse investment banker James McDermott, also free on bail in the case - also tells the Post it is "possible" she didn't know she had done anything illegal.
As of Friday morning, Star remained in hiding at the Vancouver home of her fiance, Michael Gillies. The FBI has issued a warrant for her arrest but it's useless in Canada and, the Post says, the State Department isn't even pushing to extradite the porn actress and exotic dancer.
Her longtime friend, Adult Press Service head Marc Medoff, says she remains distraught over the entire insider trading flap. The Post says she called him at about 3 a.m. Thursday "hysterical".
"She was crying," Medoff tells the Post. "She feels betrayed and victimized by the people around her...She never thought she was doing anything illegal. She thought she was in conformity with the law."
The paper says Star's attorneys are trying to negotiate a plea deal and she's still mulling whether to surrender. "She wants to come out," Medoff tells the Post. "She wants to talk. Things are at a boiling point." But he also says Star is "scared for her life. There's no question about it...She knows what she's dealing with."
