People v. Phelps

Defendant-Appellant, Barry C. Phelps, an attorney engaged in the venture capital business, was acquitted of theft charges but convicted of eight charges of violating the Illinois Public Utilities Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 111 2/3, par. 1 et seq.) after a bench trial in the Circuit Court of Wayne County. Defendant was sentenced to pay a fine and serve a period of probation. He appeals from the convictions, raising numerous issues.

Although the transcript of the testimony at trial takes up several volumes, the facts of the case are relatively simple and in large part uncontradicted. In…