/ Source: Reuters
A former executive vice president of Qwest Communications International Inc. pleaded guilty Wednesday to wire fraud, avoiding a five-week trial that had been set to start next Tuesday.
Marc Weisberg entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Denver as part of a plea bargain in which he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Weisberg may serve as a witness in a case involving his former boss, Qwest Chief Executive Joseph Nacchio, who was indicted last week for insider trading.
Nacchio pleaded innocent. His trial date has not been set.
Weisberg is the third ranking of seven former Qwest executives charged criminally since 2003 as part of a three-year investigation by federal prosecutors in Denver.
Nacchio is the last to go on trial.