Infamous Anti-Gunner Faces
Possible Jail Time
LifeClock - the
number of people
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On Monday, Robert E. Brennan was convicted in federal court of bankruptcy
fraud, and now faces the possibility of up to 10 years in federal prison.
This conviction was just the latest stage in a two-decade clash between
Brennan, the courts, and the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
So
just who is Robert Brennan?
Brennan is a former penny-stock tycoon, but he
is likely remembered by many veterans of the pro-gun movement as the man
who erected an anti-gun billboard in New York's Times Square in 1994 - a
billboard dubbed the "Deathclock."
Many observers accused Mr. Brennan of
launching his billboard (which purported to keep a running tally of
firearm-related deaths) as a publicity stunt in an effort to divert
attention away from a hearing he and his firm, First
Jersey Securities,
faced in the battle with the SEC. A $75 million civil fraud judgement
handed down against Brennan and his firm in 1995 was quickly followed by
both filing for bankruptcy, which ultimately led to Monday's decision.
While unrelated to his legal and financial problems, even more damning to
Brennan's credibility is the fact that he claimed his brother was murdered
by an armed robber with an illegal handgun, when actually he was shot by
New Jersey police officers when he pointed a starter's pistol at them
after a high-speed car chase.
Brennan's billboard was funded through The
Dehere Foundation - a foundation started by Brennan and former Seton Hall
University basketball star Terry Dehere - but was pulled down with no
fanfare after little more than one year of activity. Brennan found it to
be "very costly" to run. Also serving on The Dehere Foundation's board was
former anti-gun New Jersey Governor Jim Florio (D).
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